In Case of Pirates
by SilverBlaze09
Summary: If only everyone could fight like this... Rated T for violence, some blood and a little language.
1. Prologue to a Monster

EDIT 8 Sep 08: It has been brought to my attention that some incompetent idiot or two might conceivably believe that I am attempting to claim the One Piece world, or any other world thought up by someone else, as my own. Therefore:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece. I do not own the chair you are sitting on. I do not own the computer you are viewing this on. I do not own anything from any anime currently in existence, although it is feasible that I might possibly have something to do with an anime sometime in the future. Far future.

I do not own the concept of islands. I do not own the concept of oceans. I also don't own the concept of gunplay. I don't own the concept of swords.

If you do not recognize it, it is probably mine. Therefore, if you are having difficulty deciding whether or not I, quote/unquote, "STOLE" something from you, let me know so I can resolve your case of idiotic mind before we all do something we regret, I.E.: You sue me for talking about something related to your supposedly 'copyrighted' crap and I murder you in your sleep for being an idiot.

Any questions? Good. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

-Luk'var kel'dezh-

It was a quiet night on Kikiro Island when the raft came into view. The night guard had just come on watch, their daytime comrades walking away tiredly; with the recent surge in pirate activity, the East Blue had become a place unsafe for complacency.

On the northeastern watch tower, the green-haired man on watch yawned widely and smacked his lips as he brought his telescope to his eye. His opinion of the local Navy commander's policy of watching at all times was that somebody's screws were loose; nothing on Kikiro Island was worth stealing or even killing, as the lone village was made up of nobody villagers and worthless houses, while the base was the home of a grand total of two small patrol craft and a small prison where minor prisoners from the village were kept, none lasting longer than a week at most. With only a platoon of Marines to hold the entire island, there wasn't much the Navy could've done, anyway, if somebody had really wanted to do something to the island.

So when he brought the glass to his eye and swept the horizon, he was utterly shocked to spy a small raft composed of five logs tied together coming over the edge of the sky, the sail catching the last of the evening breeze and propelling the craft forward toward the island. There was no cabin or even a tent to shelter the inhabitant of the raft, and the watchman couldn't even tell at first if there was even anybody aboard until the craft was roughly a mile from shore.

He eyed the dim form aboard the craft, then brought the snail-phone speaker up to his mouth and began reporting his sighting.

Navy Commander Lance Cradge looked up at the man standing before his desk, one eyebrow raised skeptically. "So the northeast watchtower has spotted a lone raft with a single occupant aboard? He must be blind; any craft approaching us could only be a pirate vessel with a crew of killers aboard. We would know if anyone else was coming."

The man stood there stiffly at attention. "No, sir, he was quite clear. He said it was a log raft, with a single sail and a lone occupant. No cabin, no form of cover, just a lone man sleeping on the raft." The man paused, then added hesitantly, "Sir, he's one of our best night watchers; if he says something is so at night, then he's always right..."

"Bah."

The man winced as the commander stood up and stalked out of the office, then sighed and looked at a corner of the office that had been shrouded in shadows.

"Your father is a good man, but he's a little paranoid, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Rosa Cradge smiled softly, her hands stroking the lean, well-muscled cat on her lap. "Oh, I think he has due reason to worry, what with this Straw Hat fellow having destroyed some of the largest groups around here. With the big cats gone, the little toms have started scurrying around in their rush to be the next top cat."

The marine nodded, then saluted and left the office, leaving Rosa to herself. Smiling softly, she turned her gaze to the moonlit night outside the window of her father's spartan office.

A good night for an invasion.

The raft sailed unerringly into the port of Kikiro Village, the craft's occupant never waking even when the raft drove itself ashore and beached there; the raven on the top of the mast, however, did awaken. He stretched his wings, then his shadowed eyes lit upon a group of armed individuals that were fast approaching the craft and what could have passed for a smirk crossed his beak before he spread his wings and rose into the night sky. From above, he watched as the figures cautiously approached the craft, then he turned his head and spotted the twin craft anchored in the bay and flew off toward them.

Behind him, the sergeant in charge of the group moving toward the man on the raft slowed as their lights played over the sleeping form; a brown, wide-brimmed hat with a single strand of string running from the brim that probably served to keep the hat from blowing away covered the fellow's eyes, while his close-cut black hair served as a slightly cushioning object for his head as his arms held his skull off the hard wood. A brown leather shirt and brown leather leggings, dark brown boots, all barely showing from beneath the brown overcoat that he was covered in.

As the first marine rudely yanked off the overcoat in an attempt to wake the man, the entire group leaped back as a set of armaments worthy of a Navy arsenal; the belt around his waist supported two strangely-fashion pistols, while two rolls of what were clearly ammunition lay on his chest. The butt of a rifle protruded from behind his left shoulder, while a shotgun lay on the wood next to him and twin hatchets hung from bandoleers on his chest, a set of eight or more knives sheathed on the leather as well. The last piece of armament the shocked group noticed was the massive battle-ax leaning against the mast, having been hidden before by distance.

Then the man woke up and pushed his hat further up, revealing the bandana wrapped around his eyes as he stared straight at the sergeant.

"Douse the lights, wouldja?"


	2. Quiet Storm

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that it was dark out, and not just under my hat. Night had fallen while I was napping, something I would have chuckled at if the lights in my face hadn't kept trying to blind me.

Lights.

Narrowing my eyes behind the bandana, I took the group in with a glance. Seven men, a Marine sergeant in charge off to my left and two men from the front of the group. Not a coward, then. Meant his men were probably stiff, too.

My gaze swept everything I could, informing me that Reza had flown off, I was on a fairly small island, judging by the way the wind was funneling through some of the valleys, there was a small village about a five-minute walk from the docks that my raft had parked next to and, most importantly, my overcoat was lying on the sand.

Turning my head to look at the sergeant, I pushed my hat up on my head. "Douse the lights, wouldja?"

The instant I said that, the group took a collective step back and I realized instantly that I had once more forgotten about the bandana on my eyes. Sighing, I slowly got to my feet, flipping the coiled bandoleers I had set on my chest open and strapping them to my upper arms as my hat fell back and hung from the strap around my neck; stepping forward, I bent down and wrapped my hand around my overcoat.

There was a series of clicks and the sergeant spoke, slight unease in his voice. "You have to come with us for questioning, sir."

Calmly straightening up, I shoved one arm into the sleeve it went with and nodded. "Of course."

He seemed taken off-guard and didn't manage to speak again until I had inserted my other arm into its sleeve and had stuck my shotgun into its sheath on my back, on top of my rifle and under my coat, the twin stocks causing my overcoat to adopt a pair of weird shoulders. "We'll be escorting you back now..."

"One moment, please." Reaching back, I wrapped my hand around the handle of Yamakaze and slung the ax behind my back with the leather strap coming from the bottom of it's shaft, attaching the other end to a small hook at the other end of the shaft. Straightening up, I smirked at the group and saluted. "Ready when you are, sergeant."

He swallowed as he eyed Yamakaze, then nodded and turned away, walking a few steps before looking back to make sure I was following. When he saw that I was, he nodded once and continued forward, the rest of the group falling in around me and keeping their hands on their weapons, just in case I tried anything. I didn't feel any offense at the maneuver, as I had heard the rumors even in my leisurely journey through the East Blue. Rumors of full-on pirate wars, massive battles between pirate groups, destruction of whole fleets and even a piece of an island, all apparently by one crew.

It didn't take a genius to realize that, not only did one have to watch out for this particular crew, but every other pirate crew that had been hiding out from the big shots were now going to be getting bolder and bolder than ever. It made sense that an island as small as this would be wary of strangers that came from the sea at night under mysterious circumstances.

It was a beautiful night for a stroll and I smiled as I parked my hat back on top of my head, enjoying the last of the evening breeze as I followed my escort toward the village, listening to the nocturnal creatures as they began to come out from their homes and start singing. As we entered the outskirts of town, I heard silverware and platters clattering; from the tone of the noise, I deduced that they were wooden. Not a very prosperous town, then; turning my head to look in the window of one house, however, I saw the family smiling and laughing, chatting happily about whatever they had done that day.

Poor, maybe, but at least they were content.

Turning back forward to face the sergeant, I smiled softly. "What is this town's wage-earner? Crops? Resupply point for the Navy?"

He turned to look quizzically, then shrugged when he saw I was just curious. "We grow crops for ourselves, yes, and there's a small warehouse for the Navy over on the other side of the island; mostly, though, we're fishermen."

Raising an eyebrow, I scanned through what I knew of that area of the East Blue. "Uh, giant lobster?"

He slowed his step and fell in beside me as he stared at me openmouthed, the repositioning from escort to conversationalist probably not even noticed by him. "Why, yeah, it is. How'd you know?"

Smirking, I shrugged. "I read a book about the East Blue; it said that giant lobster were found mostly around small islands in the southern part of the sea." Looking up at the stars, I smiled softly. "And judging by the grand display above us, we're in that section of the world."

His brows furrowed together and his tone turned inquisitive; he wanted to try his hand at fishing for something other than sea-faring creatures. "Ah, so you're a navigator?"

I lowered my gaze as my smile turned amused. "If you want to know, no, I'm not a pirate."

"Nobody said you were." The sergeant looked distinctly nervous, despite his unvoiced claim to not be fishing for information. "I was just curious..."

"About my knowledge of the star patterns?" I shrugged. "My knowledge of the sky comes from my... Well, you could say I inherited it from my mother." I spoke the last with a trace of bitterness as ugly memories floated to the surface, then I shook my head and smiled. "Anyway, no, to answer that question in the back of your heads, I am not a pirate. Just a simple explorer of the world."

"Then why do you have so many weapons?"

My response was as dry as my expression. "If I, who live with my head in the clouds eighty-seven to ninety-one percent of the time, have heard about this vicious new pirate crew having crushed Arlong, Krieg and Buggy the Clown, then I'm pretty sure you have, too. You think a guy who travels alone except for the creatures of the sky and ocean can afford to travel unarmed?"

He sighed, finally relaxing completely after apparently making up his mind about me. "Your choice of weaponry just doesn't quite fit mere self-defense, that's all."

"You shoulda seen the panda-shark school I ran into last night." I chuckled. "I know I didn't see them until they leaped at me."

"How many were there?"

"Seven or eight."

He turned to look at me wide-eyed. "And you escaped?! You must have used every weapon to kill of _eight_ of them."

I smirked. "Actually, I only used my ax; when I finally managed to kill two of them, the rest started eating them and I took the opportunity to split."

The sergeant shook his head. "The predators around here have grown vicious the past three years; it's rare for a fishing trip to go without at least sighting them."

I shook my head as well, then belatedly remembered my manners and extended my hand. "Ah! My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm called Finch, journeyer, sometime fighter and occasional showman."

He smiled and shook my hand; a firm, friendly grip. "And I'm Sergeant Laban McLarson, chief of the Night Patrol on Kikiro Island."

Smiling as we approached a large brick building with the word 'NAVY' emblazoned over the door and a large officer-type standing in the doorway, I nodded. "A pleasure."

Neither of us spoke as we approached the officer, who, as his sleeve so clearly stated, was a commander, McLarson stepped in front of me and saluted smartly. "Sir! The unknown person has been escorted here as ordered-"

"Why isn't he shackled and why are your weapons not pointed at him?!" The commander's voice was brisk as he snapped at the men, all of whom winced. "All pirates are to be treated in that manner-"

I raised a hand, interrupting him. "If I may, sir?"

He eyed me, then nodded, causing me to label him in my head as hard and brusque, but at least fair. "You may."

"Well, I think that they might have been too intimidated at first by my weaponry, sir." Unbuttoning my overcoat, I pulled it open carefully, so as not to give anyone the idea I was reaching for anything; the commander blinked in surprise, but otherwise kept his face hard as I closed my coat again. "Then I guess my lack of resistance probably gave them the belief that I am not a threat." Shrugging, I smiled knowingly up at him. "Technically, I suppose, I _could_ be a threat to somebody, but that would be only if they became my enemies."

"It doesn't matter." The commander's face was stern, as was his voice. "Orders are orders; with so many pirates running about-"

"Oh, come now, Father. This man doesn't have the evil look of true pirates."

The woman who stepped into view would have been beautiful if something about her hadn't set off warning bells in my head. Her slim, voluptuous body was covered in Navy white and blue, her uniform setting off her form like it was made for the job. Her hair, the same blond as the commander's, was hanging loose around her shoulders, while her emerald green eyes, which she also shared with the commander, gazed out in a sultry fashion that sent every other male around me into a state of dizziness.

I smiled softly at her, both to hide the discomfort in me and because I figured out the source of that discomfort: her eyes held a calculating look that was out of place in this small town, even for one as beautiful as she. "Evil is such a harsh word from a lovely young woman such as you, my lady." Turning my gaze back to the commander, both to annoy her a little with my ignoring of her and to ensure he didn't kill me for taking the verbal liberty with his daughter, I bowed my head slightly. "Your daughter, I presume, sir?"

He nodded stiffly and affectionately pulled her to his side. "Yes, and she's not open for suitors like yourself."

She batted playfully at his chest, smiling coyly at me. "Oh, Father, don't be like that! You know it's rude-"

"He's right." At my words, everyone turned to look at me with either surprise or relief that I wasn't going to start chasing her. At least not instantly. "Strange men loaded down with weapons make for suspicious beaus." My voice was soft as I turned my gaze to hers, reading what I could from her eyes as I spoke. "A good father is always careful who he allows to court his daughter, especially one such as yourself."

Her father relaxed slightly, but I saw her tense ever so slightly; she couldn't find my eyes beneath the low brim of my hat, yet she knew I was staring straight at her.

That made up my mind about her then and there; there was something innately suspicious about her. Whether she liked simply toying with men or was having an affair, I couldn't be certain. She might have merely been plotting a way off the island, or she might be interested in her father's position. Any way I looked at it, though, one fact stood out; her gaze had the coldness of an osprey lurking just beneath the beautiful surface, while the corners of her eyes spoke of a cunning befitting any snake. Not only that, but the tightening meant she had a plot in the works that might be endangered by my arrival.

It was something I took note of and hid in the back of my mind, ready for further thought if I was ever bored or if I stayed longer than a day.

"I'm glad you understand, sir." Turning his attention back to McLarson, he nodded sternly. "Your failure to follow proper procedure is still under review, Sergeant, but, pending questioning of the prisoner, I doubt that you have cause to worry."

Smiling brightly, I bowed toward the commander before he had a chance to respond. "Sir, I am grateful for that and will gladly answer whatever question you pose me with the utmost honesty. This man has proven himself the sensible sort; I would have been most saddened to learn that he was being punished for being hospitable."

The commander smiled back at me and gestured for me to follow him as he turned to reenter the headquarters, his daughter slipping out from under his arm as he did so. "It is not the Navy's place to be hospitable, but friendly faces are a pleasant change nowadays."

Smiling as I followed him, I kept my eyes on the woman as the other Marines moved away and I moved into the building. Still, I almost missed it when she spoke silently.

"It would be wise if you left this island tonight; this instant, in fact."

Turning away, she was gone before I might have responded if I had wanted to. Frowning thoughtfully, I pondered the meaning behind her words, then shrugged. She might have plans darker than I had first imagined, but I also had skills beyond anything she might have imagined in her wildest dreams. Best to let plotting tigresses lie and deal with them when they finally made their move.

I followed the commander through the reception room and into a narrow hall, then up to the second floor and into his office down another hall, the lone window in the office overlooking the town below. As the man gestured for me to sit down on a simple wooden chair and himself sat behind his desk in an identical chair, his hand touching the lamp on the edge of the desk and illuminating the darkened room I smiled quietly to myself as I felt a slight difference in air currents around me. There was a hidden entrance to the room.

"What is your name and reason for coming to Kikiro Island?"

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, feeling the three weapons on my back digging into my skin. "I am Argyle Finch and I am just passing through."

"What do you do for a living?"

"Right now?" I smiled softly. "Nothing at all. I just drift around, taking a little charity, living off the land and waves the rest of the time."

"What was your previous employment, if I may ask?"

I steeled myself inwardly; I would rather have not told him, but I _had_ promised to be honest. "Warrior of Gorgon."

He stared at me in shock, then leaped to his feet and made for the snail on his desk before the barrel of my rifle appeared beneath his nose. Sighing extravagantly, I looked him in the eye.

"Since you obviously know of us, you also know that, if I was here to fight, no number of fighters could stop me." As he slowly backed away from the snail, I lowered the rifle and looked out the window at the town below, peaceful and quiet. "I am not here to fight; truth be told, I'd rather never fight another war again."

"Why _are _you here, then?" His voice was hoarse; he'd clearly heard some of the nastier tales.

"Like I said, I'm passing through." Smiling thinly, I turned my gaze back to him. "As I told you earlier, I was _once_ a Warrior of Gorgon; now, though, I just wander the seas, enjoying the sunshine on my face and watching the birds fly above me." That and there sort of wasn't any more Sea Devil war, but I didn't feel like telling him that.

He shook his head in disbelief, but sat down in his chair nevertheless; I replaced my rifle in its original position, exuding as much calmness as I could. "Be that as it may, I must ask that you leave as soon as possible."

I chuckled. "Actually, I only planned to ask for a meal or two here and a bed to sleep on for the night before I left tomorrow morning; I dislike starting my travels from land at night."

He sighed and finally relaxed again, although a slight tension still kept his shoulders tight. "Well, I suppose that, barring any trouble, I can allow that."

"Sergeant McLarson said this place supports itself by fishing." Leaning back in my seat as I shifted the conversation to less tense subjects, I continued curiously, "How's the season going so far? I believe it's about midway through, yes?"

He nodded in surprise. "Yes, although how you know that is a little beyond me."

Shrugging, I smiled softly. "I do a lot of reading." Cocking my head to the side, I raised an eyebrow. "I understand the predators are being troublesome around here. What have you been doing to try and control them?"

A wry smile provided most of the answer. "Not much we _can_ do. The Navy presence is forced to constantly patrol for pirate activity, so the fishing industry here has to fend for itself. They've proven surprisingly resourceful given what little we can provide, but we're up to an average of a death a month."

My eyes widened behind my bandana. "I don't imagine this place has that many inhabitants to begin with."

"We don't." His expression, behind what I decided was probably a habitual hardness, was bleak as he stood up and turned to regard the town below. "If matters continue as they have, I will have to request that the World Government either send some form of disaster aid or else evacuate the island."

My eyebrows shot up and I felt my mouth fall slightly; things hadn't struck me as _that_ bad. An idea coiled up in my mind and I hesitantly put it forth. "Sir, if you'd like, I know something of predator control. If you're willing..."

He turned to me and shook his head, his eyes stern. "I'm sorry, but I still can't bring myself to trust one like you to remain peaceful for very long. We'll handle this matter one way or another ourselves. Thank you for the offer, though."

I smiled regretfully and nodded my understanding. "I know exactly what you mean; that's part of the reason I've spent most of my recent days on a raft in the middle of the sea." Standing up, I bowed respectfully to him. "Well, I will be leaving early tomorrow. If you could direct me to the nearest restaurant or other form of eating establishment, I would appreciate it greatly."

He nodded soberly and raised his voice. "Amie!"

There was no response and he frowned, then I felt a chill go down my spine as he tried again.

"Amie! Amie, could you come here, please?"

I folded my arms across my chest, using the movement as a cover for my right hand wrapping around Ras'cal, one of my twin six-shooters; as the commander moved toward the door, I looked out at the bay beyond the village. A pair of large ships floated next to the far smaller Navy ships, the moon illuminating the Jolly Roger flying from the top. The flag was fashioned so that the skull-and-crossbones design also bore a set of long fangs emerging from the upper set of teeth and extending downward, combining with a set of triangular ears and a pair of clawed paws at the upper ends of the crossbones to form a stylized sabertooth design.

Then the commander opened the door and leaped back, his face contorted in shock. "What in the-"

With twin gunshots, the commander died from severe head trauma and the beginning of what was to become a very troublesome reputation for me emerged.


	3. Growling of the Beast

I spun around the side, shielding the commander's lean form from further attack as my own pistols shot up and pointed directly at the four pirates on the other side. They barely had time to gawk before four gunshots that sounded like one sent them flying away from me. As they fell, I turned and leaped out the window of the Navy headquarters, feeling one lip pull up in a snarl as I saw that my gunshots had gone unnoticed due to the swarm of pirates pulling everyone from their homes and prodding them into the central square.

I touched the air with one foot and flashed over to the roof of the nearest house, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as I moved toward the square. As I hit the top of the final roof and skidded to a stop, I felt my eyes narrow when I saw the commander's daughter calmly ordering the pirates around, a pair of Marines standing at her shoulder. My hunch about her had been more correct than I would have cared it to be.

"My father should be dead by now; find out if that man he was with was killed as well."

A pirate wearing an incredibly tall top hat ran up to her, skidding around a family being escorted to the rest of the villagers as he shouted, "His raft is still here, Captain Direclaw!"

She frowned. "Find him and deal with him." Stroking the cat in her arms, she turned to the Marine behind her. "Are the two Navy ships taken yet?"

The man shook his head. "Last I heard, the detail dispatched on that mission had taken one, but the other is sending back strange reports. They say a bird is keeping them from taking the other ship."

Her pointed stare made me clamp my mouth shut to keep from laughing. Reza was doing his thing, and had apparently located a new ship for us as well; a good partner, to be sure. "Deal with it; I want those ships for the fleet."

A man who seemed vaguely familiar stepped up to the front of the crowd of refugees and shouted, "Lady Cradge! My wife is pregnant and needs-"

The woman gestured and the other Marine, the one who had not spoken yet, raised his rifle and aimed it at the man, who I finally recognized as Sergeant McLarson. "That name is never to be spoken again in my presence. Here is the reason why."

The Marine pulled the trigger, causing a complete stillness as the bullet began traveling down the barrel.

Snarling, I dug my heels down, flashing forward and moving the barrel of Lac'sar, my second pistol, into the path of the bullet, catching the bullet in my barrel and flinging it skyward before flashing forward and ending up with my right pistol pointed straight up, the barrel digging into the flesh of the Marine's chin next to his rifle's stock while my left pistol was settled on the second Marine's shoulder, the muzzle pressed against his earlobe. The crowd went into complete shock-quiet mode as everthing ground to a halt, the sudden quiet magnifying the distant gunshots as Reza tore through his opponents as everyone around me attempted to catch up with what had just happened.

Smiling, I spoke softly into the stillness. "This used to be such a quiet town."

The woman jerked and spun, her calm shattering as she spotted me standing with my brim over my eyes and my weapons digging into the skin of her Marines. "You!"

"The name, my lady," I cast about furiously for what kind of name to give her, then shrugged inwardly, "is Argyle Finch, gunfighter of the sea." Raising my head, I let her see the blindfold around my eyes. "It is not merely You."

She shook herself and brought her fingers up, snapping them as a sneer crossed her face. "Deal with him."

The Marines tried to, they really did. Their speed would have been far too much for any normal human, as the one flexed his muscles to smash his rifle into my head while the other twitched to begin a drop-and-spin.

Twin explosions echoed through the square and I smirked from on top of the house on the opposite side of the square from where I had been, watching as the pair hit the ground and the rifle clattered away. "Too slow, my lady."

She spun around, her eyes settling on me and shock crossing her features before the top-hat man shouted, "Direclaw Pirates! _Attack that man!_"

The swarms of pirates leaped at me, several clambering up the nearby buildings and aiming their rifles at me while even more simply swarmed up the side of the building, their swords reaching for me. Just as they were about to touch me, I felt a smirk cross my face before I dug my heels down.

I slashed through them, my pistols holstered and a pair of knives leaping into action as I ended my spree at the position I had been at before, one knife tickling the back of Lady Cradge's neck. As the entire swarm that had been moving toward me dropped, their bodies erupting from the speed with which I had hit them, I smiled at her.

"Pirates like you aren't worth the trouble of going all-out."

The instant those words were out of my mouth, I almost swallowed them as top-hat man slashed down at me, his ax almost severing my arm before I spun away, my right knife chopping down and almost cutting his limb off in turn. He leaped back, his ax spinning, then leaped back forward, almost taking my head off before I brought my left knife up, deflecting his blow while my right knife cut through his shirt and clanged off the armor beneath.

The force of our respective blows sent us skidding back, trails of dust flying up from beneath our feet, then the captain herself was on me, a set of claws emerging from the gloves on her hands as she attempted to remove my trachea from my throat. Jerking my head backwards, I watched as her arm shot over my head before my own knives leaped up, almost of their own accord, and scratched her cheek.

She faded into an afterimage and then the top-hat guy was on me, although another four swords had been added to the fight as their owners followed him toward me. A sneer crossed my face.

"Enough."

I flashed again, my hands sliding the knives back into their sheathes before I drew my rifle and shotgun. Holding the shotgun in my right hand, I landed behind the five and aimed the weapon at their backs as they skidded to a halt and began turning around.

"DIRECLAW FLAIL!"

A cat-o'-nine-tails shot toward my shotgun just as I pulled the trigger, filling the group ahead of me with millions of pellets that sent them flying away into the side of the building ahead of them, a pair of them crashing through the wall into the building beyond. The crowd screamed as the whip-weapon wrapped around my shotgun, then I spun, the muzzle of my rifle digging into Captain Direclaw's chest as I eyed her coldly.

"Your choice; pirate or prisoner."

She faded into an afterimage, a sneer crossing her face, then I aimed my rifle behind my head and pulled the trigger. There was a gasp as my bullet found its mark where I had known it would, then the crowd surged back as more pirates swarmed the square, kicking anyone too slow out of their way.

Growling, I reholstered the now-empty shotgun and brought my rifle into a normal two-handed grip, working the lever action as I sprayed the pirates down. Nine dropped, then I replaced the rifle on my back and drew my knives again, flashing forward as I cut through the horde in front of me before I moved on toward where I could see flashes of light heralding Reza's still-going battle for the ship. Smirking, I flashed to the nearest light and cut the man's throat before he could stir, flashing away again before his head even finished hitting the top of his rifle. It was the matter of mere moments before I had cut through the entire line and was standing in front of the ship they had been firing at, smirking up at the craft.

"Hey, Reza! Having fun?"

"Au! Au! Too much fun, Boss! Caw!" The raven appeared on top of the mast of the ship, his head twitch back and forth in amusement. "You spoiled my fun, arau!"

Laughing as I slowly walked up the plank connecting the craft with the dock, I moved toward the anchor as screams and war cries sounded in the village; sounded like what few pirates were left had been attacked by the loyal Marines and were getting the little bit of stuffing I had left in them smashed to pieces. "You're almost as much trouble as I am, Reza."

"Au! Think ya got what it takes, arau?" He fluttered down next to me, his feathers shining with blood as he smirked at me. "I gots skillz, au!"

There was a loud explosion before I could answer and we both turned to see that one of the Direclaw ships had turned her cannons on the village. A flame erupted on one of the house and I _tched_.

"Reza, I like this little town, but I think their quiet days are over." Turning to look at him, I cocked an eyebrow. "One for one?"

He spread his wings and cackled. "Au! Au! I'm down, diggy-dawg! Arau! Au!"

With that exclamation, he pumped his wings and was off, flashing toward the ship that was still maneuvering to fire. Smiling, I flashed after him, ending at the crow's nest of the ship that had fired. The watchman gaped before I elbowed him off the perch, sending him screaming down to the deck below. As many pairs of eyes turned upward, I drew Yamakaze and screamed its name; a sudden gale erupted to life, then I leaped off the crow's nest and plummeted toward the deck, my ax over my head. As I hit the wood below, I brought the weapon down, shattering the entire craft's superstructure and cutting the ship in half.

Flashing back to the ship Reza had picked out for us, I smirked as I watched my ship collapse into the harbor, while Reza's disintegrated under his onslaught before he returned to perch on top of the mast, a few splinters poking out from his feathers.

"Au! That was mad sweet, arau!"

Laughing, I nodded as I pulled up the anchor and walked back toward the helm, resting Yamakaze on the deck beside me. "Drop the sails, if you could, Reza."

He cawed again, then the sail of the single-master dropped down and the wind that had sprung up after Yamakaze's gale filled it, propelling us forward. As I maneuvered through the wreckage of the ships, I smiled as Reza fluttered back to the top of the mast and began picking the splinters out of his feathers. "Where to next, buddy?"

He seemed to consider it as we pulled away from the bay and he spat out a splinter, then his eyes lit up. "We ain't been to Rogtown yet, au! I say wez go there, arau!"

I felt a little uneasy suddenly. "I dunno, Reza. I have never been that close to the Grand Line in a long, long time. Just the name is making me uncomfortable."

As we shot into the open sea, Reza shrugged and spat out another splinter. "Your call, Boss. Au! We can always head out-au!- to somewhere we've already been, au!"

Sighing, I looked up at the stars and adjusted our course. "No, you're right. In the spirit of drifting around, we should pay at least one visit to the Red Line. I just don't want any more trouble."

"Au!" He eyed me askance. "Your life is trouble, au! Even a town as small as this got into trouble the instant-au!- you arrived. You knew the-au!- price when you defied-au!- the sea devils! Arau!"

Nodding, I watched the stars shift as we fell into a comfortable silence, the only noise that of the ocean around us, the creaking of the ship and the minuscule splashes as Reza spat the splinters he pulled from his feathers into the water. Much as I really didn't want to go to such a trouble-prone town as Rogtown, I knew I couldn't avoid it; trouble would find me anyway. Might as well be the one initiating it, even if it was by going to a town I _knew_ I was going to get into trouble in.

I almost groaned, but stifled it. But I didn't _want_ to get into any more trouble! Every time I did, somebody got hurt that wasn't supposed to. Oh, sure, I could defend myself easily; I could protect anyone I wanted to, I could stop bullets from reaching their targets and swords from ever cutting again. But every time I fought, it was at the cost of some completely innocent stranger that didn't deserve it.

That island back there, for example; I had come and gotten into trouble and a town of people were hurt because of it. I had even wielded Yamakaze, which meant the ocean around the island was going to be the source of several quick yet vicious storms that would make it unapproachable by sea or air for a day or two. Why I had unleashed Yamakaze, I didn't know; I just knew my usual sensibility had deserted me.

Looking toward the horizon, I wished fervently that I hadn't sworn to myself not to utilize my abilities for nothing, as I wanted nothing more than to be finished with the journey and safely in Rogtown, no matter how much trouble I got in. I needed a distraction. Any distraction.

Reza chose that moment in my gloomy musings to squawk, "Au! We got company, boss! Arau!"

I snapped my gaze up, then followed his gaze to port just as the massive sea snake erupted into the air, jaws wide as it apparently intended to devour us, a crazy look in its hungering gaze. Without a pause, Reza shot into the sky and I leaped forward, bouncing off the deck as I grabbed up Yamakaze to keep it from being swallowed as the beast descended, its teeth turning the boat into splinters. Before it could submerge, however, I slammed my fist into the horn atop its head, sending a wicked vibration through its brain that caused it to scream in unadulterated agony.

As I landed on top of its head, I stomped over to the side and looked down into one eye, Yamakaze resting on my shoulder as I stared at the thing through my bandana. "Listen, hisser, you just busted my boat." It bellowed in raged, then I stomped down hard, causing it to squeal in pain and a bump to begin forming. Shifting to avoid it, I continued glowering. "I'm going to Rogtown and you owe me a ride. Now I can either kill you and use your skull as a boat or you can give us a ride there."

The thing seemed to consider arguing the point, then Reza floated by. "Au! Ya might wanna listen, arau! He's a Gorgon-au!- and might eat ya if ya don't-au!- do as he says!"

The thing whimpered and snorted questioningly at me. "Rogtown, now!"

With a bellow of fear, the thing took off toward the distant city, making far better time than the boat had been as panic flooded its feeble brain at the thought of a Gorgon becoming angry at it. Even as I smirked at that thought, I gestured for Reza to fly closer to me.

"By the way, Reza, let's not let anybody else know I'm a Gorgon, yes? I'd rather not become the target for the Seven Warlords or any Sea Devil remnants."

"Au! You know best, Boss."

Shrugging, I gently set Yamakaze on the sea snake's scales and smiled softly to myself. Whatever else the snake might have done, it had proven itself an excellent distraction.


	4. Unleashed Gale

Rogtown was a tough town full of tough people who could deal with pirates like most other towns deal with showers in Spring.

So when I arrived there to find everyone abuzz over a single pirate, I knew something was amiss. As Reza flew off to find out what was happening, I thanked the sea snake for giving me a ride and told him of a particularly juicy type of fish found about two day's swimming northeast of the island. As he bellowed hungrily and took off, I secreted Yamakaze beneath my coat and then slowly began making my way into the city, listening to the wild stories floating about as storm clouds gathered overhead.

"Kid in a straw hat standing on top of the gallows!"

"Guy with a straw 'at on 'is 'ead making a load of trouble for the Navy..."

"Straw hat fellow is making quite a to-do, I must say."

"With a straw hat, you say? And he took off just ahead of the Navy?"

"STOP THAT GIRL!"

I turned my gaze toward the sound of shouting, watching in amusement as an eight- or ten-year-old girl with candy cane-colored hair burst through the crowd, a wide grin on her face as she shot away from the Marines pursuing her and a set of shackles broken and dragging along behind her.

"I'M _FREEEEEEE!_"

"STOP HER! THERE'S A FIFTEEN MILLION BELI BOUNTY ON HER HEAD!"

That instantly attracted the attention of everyone on the dock; as one, they moved toward her, stampeding toward what appeared to be easy money. I was apparently the only one who spotted the smirk that crossed her face; then she whipped around and pointed one finger at the nearest Marine.

"Sweet-sweet cannon!"

A fist-sized, orange-colored ball erupted from the air in front of her and slammed into the Marine, sending him flying back through his fellows and the people around him; smirking, I began walking toward the suddenly-frozen crowd as murmurs of 'devil-fruit powers' began circulating. The girl leaped onto the top of a pier post and raised her fist defiantly at the crowd.

"I AM ALIZA ALICIA ALAMONIUM AND I'M A PIRATE AND AM GONNA MAKE A CREW CALLED THE PIRATES OF DOOM AND I'LL BE THE CAPTAIN!"

"Then you must die."

The voice was as cold as ice, then the girl turned to face the slender man who had spoken and planted her hands on her hips defiantly. "Yeah? Why?"

He smiled thinly, the expression making me wish he hadn't done that as he withdrew a pair of swords from under his coat. "Because pirates are evil."

I pushed through the crowd and came up on the girl's right side, a smirk on my face as I tossed one flap of my coat back and rested a hand on the grip of my pistol. Why I said what I said next has always been a mystery to me, but I never regretted it.

"So, Captain Al, who's the punk tryin' ta pick a fight? Doesn't he know that we're pirates?"

She looked back at me, her expression surprised. "Did you just call me..."

I chuckled. "That's right, kid; I've decided I like your style and wanna join your crew."

She beamed as she nodded vigorously. "Yeah! You're my first mate!"

"Best news I've heard all day." My expression flattened out as I turned my gaze on the now-uneasy man with the swords. "So, little man. I do not believe that we have been properly introduced. I am Argyle Finch, ace gunfighter and first mate of the Pirates of Doom." Smiling thinly, I looked him in the eye. "Your turn."

His smile uneasy, he took a step back. "I am Lykos the Viper. I-I'm a bounty hunter and-"

My new captain began laughing and I couldn't help but smirk with her even as I asked, "What's the matter, Captain Al?"

She pointed a finger at the man, still shaking from laughter. "He-haha- thinks he-hahaha!- can get the bounty-ha- on me!"

I smiled and shook my head. "Guess he don't know the Pirates of Doom are impossible to defeat."

"Nope, he didn't!" With that, she pointed one finger at the man, a big grin on her face. "Sweet-sweet needles!"

Four candy canes appeared in the air in front of her, their tips sharpened to razor-like quality, then they shot forward, catching Lykos' shoulder cloth and beneath his arms and carrying him back into the side of a nearby building, where he hung from them like a bug in a collection, squirming wildly in his attempt to get free.

"LET! ME! GO!"

Smiling, I turned to regard the rest of the crowd, my eyes reflecting the amusement at the man that was otherwise hidden inside as I folded my arms across my chest. "So, anybody else think they got the stuff? And before you answer, let me just inform you that I'm a whole lot stronger than my captain."

I felt a fist on the back of my head and a weight hit my shoulders; looking up, I saw my new captain glowering down at me, her left hand still curled into a fist.

"Are not! I'm the captain, so I'm the stronger one!"

Sighing, I shook my head. "No, it just means you're in charge. You can still be in charge and not be the strongest, you know."

"NUH-UH! I'M THE CAPTAIN, SO I'M STRONGER!" She stomped her foot on my shoulder. "Or you can forget about being my first mate! I'll find somebody better!"

I almost-_almost_- chuckled at that, but I instead nodded my head gravely. "I'm sorry, Captain Al. Of course you're the stronger one."

"Of course I am!" Her voice was proud that I had given in; she must have decided to placate my undoubtedly hurt feelings, because she then said, "But you're the second-strongest!"

Grinning, I turned my gaze to the gathered mob and gave them a thumbs-up. "And my buddy Reza is the third-strongest, so don't even think about making trouble or we'll tear ya all up!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

I heard the fluttering of wings and looked to the side to see Reza coming to rest on top of a pier post, an almost-smirk on his beak as he cocked his head to the side. "Au! Are you making-au!-trouble again, Boss? Au!"

The girl on my shoulders jumped, causing her to fall off from her perch and shoot headfirst toward the dock below. Before she hit, however, I unfolded my arms and extended them in front of me, catching her by her ankles and spinning her around so that I could set her down on her feet. She hardly paid any attention to that, however, her entire focus on the raven. Slowly walking toward him, almost as if she was afraid he might get startled and fly away, she carefully extended a hand toward him and attempted to touch his feathers. Before she could, though, Reza vanished, leaving only a pair of downy feathers behind him as he reappeared on my shoulder, preening himself amusedly as he watched her startled reaction with a dark eye.

"AH!" I felt startled as her lower lip began trembling, then she wailed, "I KILLED IT! THE PARROT'S DEAD!"

I chuckled and knelt down, bending forward to keep Yamakaze from digging up the wood of the dock. "Captain Al? This is Reza, my partner. Can he be the second first mate?"

She blinked, then pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I dunno; I never heard of having TWO first mates."

Nodding gravely, Reza fluttered his feathers. "Au! It isn't common, to be sure, au! But such a mighty-au!- pirate crew needs two first mates, no? Arau!"

I raised an eyebrow; for Reza to be so willing to argue _for_ his joining the crew, he must have seen some trouble or treasure in the near future. Not that I would complain, of course.

"Sure!" Aliza beamed up at us. "The parrot can join as th' other first mate! WHEE!" She began running in circles with her arms out to the sides from excitement. "I HAVE TWO FIRST MATES! I'M SO AWESOME!"

I heard a whisper of movement from the crowd and turned my gaze to the side in time to see a huge, well-muscled man making his way toward us, a huge ax in his hand as he eyed us contemptuously. Smirking, I turned my head to face him even as I spoke up.

"Captain, we have company again."

She stopped running around and looked curiously at the oncoming man. "Woooowww, he's a big one, first mates!" Planting her fists on her hips, she stared defiantly at the man. "Hey, you! Fatso! Whaddaya want?"

The man chuckled at the term 'fatso' even as he unslung his ax, the crowd clearing away from between him and us. "I, too, am a bounty hunter little girl; the name is Reber the Destroyer." Smiling toothily, he turned his gaze to me and his expression hardened. "I am here for the Gargoyle of East Blue." Raising his ax, he pointed it directly at me. "Him."

Aliza turned to look at me, a puzzled expression on her face, then she looked back at Reber. "No, he's my first mate, Argull."

He chuckled. "Argyle Finch, Gargoyle of East Blue, the Blind Gunfighter, he's all of them."

I smiled thinly. "In case you didn't know, Argyle Finch only has a two hundred thousand beli bounty; this Gargoyle fellow you're looking for has a _two million_ beli bounty." Cocking my head, I looked at him from behind my blindfold. "What makes you think I am both?"

"It's the ax on your back." I raised an eyebrow as he continued, "I am a master ax wielder; I can tell when an ax of great power is nearby." His smile widened. "Your ax holds incredible amounts of power."

Aliza seemed about to speak and his gaze turned to her, but I held a hand in front of her as I stepped forward. "Just between you and me, Destroyer; one-on-one. I'll fight alone and your lackeys," I smiled at the group of men that had been attempting to inconspicuously gather behind Reber, "will likewise let you fight alone."

Reber chuckled and hefted his ax. "I agree-_hurk!_"

I settled to the ground beyond him, Yamakaze across my chest in the position it had ended up in after I slashed through the big man, my gaze resting on the stunned group of men who were watching their leader slowly crumble to the ground; a gale-force wind blasted past me and battered them back into kneeling or crouching positions before it dissipated. Seeing that they weren't about to offer any resistance, I straightened up and rested Yamakaze on my shoulder, hearing my coat finish fluttering to the ground behind me as I stood with all my weaponry revealed and my hat hanging from my throat, my blindfolded gaze searching the crowd. Above, storm clouds began spinning around in a circle.

"Anybody else wish to challenge the Pirates of Doom? If you wish to attack our captain, you must first defeat her crew."

As the huge man collided with the dock behind me, sending a shudder through the wood beneath our feet, the entire crowd shrank back from me and I smiled thinly. "Didn't think so."

"Au! I got us a ship, au!" Reza hovered where I had left him, a smirk on his face. "It's a nice little craft-au!- but I'm pretty sure somebody owns it already, arau!"

Aliza clapped her hands happily. "Yay! Our very own pirate ship! I'm gonna call it the _Ship of Doom_!"

"How about just _Doom_?" I suggested. She thought it over for a moment, then grinned happily.

"Yeah! Cuz we're already the Pirates of Doom! So we'll name our ship _Doom_!"

Reza and I traded amused glances, then I heard a grunt from the body of Reber. Raising an eyebrow, I watched as he slowly straightened up and turned to face me, a scowl on his face.

"How dare you strike before your opponent is ready! Where's your honor?!"

I broke out laughing, then shook my head. "I'm a pirate, genius. What'd you expect, flowers and fairies?" Hefting Yamakaze off my shoulder, I began spinning it over my head with one hand as I advanced on the larger man. "This is a battle for my life, Reber the Destroyer. Why shouldn't I take it seriously and fight as best I can?"

He grunted and swung his own ax up at my skull, but I simply brought my left hand out and caught it as my other hand brought Yamakaze down on him; the dock beneath shattered and sent his bisected corpse into the waters below even as earth rose from beneath and wrapped around Yamakaze, absorbing the blood from the head and leaving it clean as a whistle as the earthen mound crumbled away. Smiling thinly, I slung Yamakaze and returned to Aliza's side, feeling a little unhappy with myself at getting into a full-out battle with a powerful enemy already.

"Ready when you are, Captain."

She stared at where the dock was smashed to pieces, then slowly raised her gaze to me, an almost reverent look on her face.

"Woooooww, you're _strong_, First Mate Argyle!"

Smiling thinly, I nodded and looked at Reza. "It's about time to go; my guess it the Marines will be here soon and I'd rather not fight them all."

She nodded and snapped out of her stupor, pointing at Reza. "First Mate Parrot! Take us to _Doom_!"

The raven bristled a little at the _parrot_ remark. "I can give you-au!- a taste of doom right now-au!- if you keep calling me-au!- a parrot, arau!"

She frowned. "But aren't you a parrot? I mean, only parrots can talk!"

"Au! No, I am a raven, au!"

"What's a raven?"

"Au! We are another form, albeit older-au!- and wiser form, of crows, arau!"

"Oh, why didn't you just say crow?"

"Au! I am a raven, au! There is a-arau!- difference, au!"

"But you just said that you're another form of crow..."

"ANOTHER FORM! ARAU! NOT ACTUALLY A-ARAU!- CROW!"

"You still sound like a parrot, though."

While the two of them began arguing over the nature of crows, ravens and parrots, I reached up and lowered one corner of my blindfold, scanning the ships at dock with my eyes in search of the craft that Reza had chosen for us. My vision took in everything with a glance, then I spotted a pair of black feathers on the crow's nest of one small, yet agile-looking, craft with a single mast. Smiling, I returned my blindfold to its place and, ensuring that the other two would follow, began moving toward it along the docks, the crowd clearing away from in front of me as I moved, my coat slung over my shoulder and my weaponry rustling against my clothing.

I turned onto the dock that the craft was moored at and found my appreciation for Reza's choice growing with every step I took toward the ship. The _Doom_ boasted a pair of cannon in her midsection, one pointing each way, while a small mortar sat in the stern, aiming to the rear. Another mortar was installed in the foredeck, aiming forward to provide security in the front; amidships, the mast dominated everything else, a tall pole bearing twin sails that looked more liable to snap the craft into pieces then propel it. I could tell from looking at it that it was a stronger construct than first glance suggested, however; the craft practically resonated with speed and agility, if not firepower.

I smirked as my handguns slapped against my side; I could provide whatever extra firepower we might need.

"AAAAAH!" I almost jumped straight up as Aliza screamed and raced toward the craft, her hands outstretched in front of her as she ran up and hugged the ship's hull, smiling happily. "I LOVE IT! YOU'RE THE BEST, FIRST MATE PAR-" She caught herself and grinned at us. "I mean, First Mate Raven!"

"The name's Reza, Cap. Au!" He fluttered onto my shoulder and joined me in watching our new captain run around happily, the girl climbing all over the craft in the blink of an eye as we smiled paternally. "She's a-au!- real piece of work, Boss. Au!"

I smirked and began moving forward, taking long strides as I approached the ship. "She's a busy one, that's for sure." The smirk slipped from my face. "So, whaddaya think we've gotten ourselves into this time, Reza?"

He shrugged and began preening himself. "Looks like-au!- just another adventure in-au!- the lives of Reza and-au!- Finch, au!"

Chuckling, I poked him with one finer. "Which reminds me, I still don't get why you went along with this thing without any argument. You smell treasure or trouble or something?"

He smirked. "Probably-au!- the same reason you probably did-arau!-, Boss; I just felt like it, au!"

Shrugging, I boarded the craft and pulled the gangplank up after me. "Good enough reason, I guess."

The raven fluttered up to the masthead and continued his preening there, while Aliza leaned over the side and attempted to pull the anchor up; she didn't get very far, though, so I came up behind her.

"Allow me, Captain Al."

She smiled sheepishly up at me. "It's stuck."

Reaching down, I wrapped my hand around the thick rope and gave it a yank; the big metal double-hook shot out of the water and into the air, coming back down into my other hand, which was held out to the side in anticipation of its fall. Smirking at Aliza's awed expression, I set the anchor down on the deck and moved to the rear, where I discovered an actual helm, rather than the simple rudder that I had expected. Smiling widely, I whistled to Reza.

"Lower the sails, First Mate Reza!"

He saluted with one wing. "Aye-aye, First Mate Argyle, au!" With that, he spread his wings and flashed between the lashes of the sails, releasing the sheets and letting them fall down. Even as the first drops of rain began falling on us, the sails caught the wind that had been slowly building since I first drew Yamakaze and billowed; we shot forward and Aliza whooped.

"ONWARD TO TREASURE, PIRATES OF DOOM! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!"

-Dias Mortem-


	5. Thundering of Rage

I thank my lovely and lovable reviewers for their lovely and lovable reviews. To let you all know, the Straw Hat crew will not be seen for some time, but they will eventually run into the Doom Cruu...

NopeJustMe- Your request for continuance has been reviewed and accepted. I an also pleased that you are enjoying the story already; many thanks.

BlueRyuu- ALL HAIL THE PIRATES OF DOOM! DOOOOOM!

Page-Mistress- Here is the encore performance...

-Luk'zorack shiel-

"I'm soooo BOOOOOORRED!"

Reza and I shared a weary glance before I looked down to where Aliza was leaning miserably on the side of the ship, occasionally shooting candy canes at a fish or two that would appear every now and then. It was the day after we left Rogtown, but our unquenchable captain had been whining about how bored she was for seemingly time interminable.

"Captain Al, you'll just have to be patient. I've set a course for Likang Island, where we should be able to find a new crewmate or two and maybe some treasure. Until we get there, we just have to be patient."

"But it's so BORING waiting!" She looked grouchily over at me, standing behind the helm of the _Doom_ steering the craft. "Pirates aren't supposed to be bored! They're supposed to find treasure and blow up the Navy, not sit around waiting to go somewhere!"

I almost laughed at her description of what a pirate was, but I held it in check; she probably wouldn't have appreciated a hearty laugh at that moment. So, instead, I looked up at Reza, who was enjoying the breeze atop the crow's nest.

"Reza! Li nok del karzh nu'fel!"

He blinked down at me, then smiled wickedly and spread his wings; the feathered limbs caught the breeze and snatched him off his perch, then he folded them back up and dove down to the deck, seemingly about to smash into the deck before he popped them back open, slowing his descent enough for him to land gently on the deck.

Aliza, who had watched him with wide-eyed awe, clapped her hands excitedly. "Again! Do it again!"

Reza smirked. "I have a-au!- better idea." Raising both wings, his expression turned wicked. "I want you to-au!- try and stab me with those-arau!- candies of yours, au!"

She blinked, then her face hardened and she shook her head. "No! I don' wanna hurt one of my first mates! What kind of captain hurts her first mates?"

He cackled and danced from side to side, then I spoke up from the helm. "He won't get hurt. See?"

Aliza gasped; in the span of the instant between 'hurt' and 'see', I had plucked one of the knives from my bandoleer and slapped it toward the raven. It went straight through him and slammed into the deck beyond, causing Aliza to whip her consternated expression toward me.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

I smirked and gestured at Reza with my hand, the other hand still holding the wheel. "Before you blow a vein, Captain, I suggest you take another look. He's not hurt in the slightest."

"Au! Of course, arau! It would take more-au!- than a little blade to hurt me, au!"

She turned almost hesitantly back to where Reza had been standing, then gasped; his image was dissipating into swirls of dark, feathery images, the knife quivering in the deck without a shred of feather or blood on it. Reza cackled again and she snapped her head up to see Reza clinging to the side of the mast with his talons, an unmistakable grin on his features.

"Au! See, my captain? Au! The day I am caught-arau!- is the day I die! Au!"

She smiled widely. "First Mate Reza! You're alive! YAY!"

With that, she began running around in circles, yelling gibberish in her happiness. At least, that's what she did until I spoke again.

"Bet you can't hit him."

She turned to me and planted her fists on her hips. "Bet I can!"

"Bet you can't."

"BET I CAN!"

I smirked. "Prove it."

She spun and snapped a candy cane toward the raven, moving pretty fast for a kid like her; Reza still dodged it, though, and appeared in a blur behind her, his wings thwacking her once on the head. She spun back around and rubbed her head, a hurt look on her face.

"Owwy, what was that for?"

He smirked. "Au! Tag, you're it, au!"

Her eyes lit up. "Yay! Tag!"

With that, they proceeded to play away the entire afternoon, me watching with a smirk as I enjoyed the breeze on my face. Yamakaze was tucked away in one of the four small cabins belowdecks, along with my rifle and shotgun; the only weaponry I had out were the small ones on my bandoleers. I wasn't expecting attack, of course; it still didn't pay to be too relaxed, though. I was at least comforted by the knowledge that there were at least forty cannonballs below as well as sixty mortar rounds, not to mention enough gunpowder to fire them all off. We had thrown the single-shot rifles overboard almost as soon as we left port, as they weren't nearly as good as mine and we didn't need them for anything else. The swords we kept, because Aliza insisted that 'Pirates are supposed to have lotsa swords!'; I personally didn't care as much about them as the rifles, because the swords were relatively light.

We had plenty of food and water and I had been most pleased with the previous masters of the craft for that reason; it meant I had less work to do trying to figure out how to get such menial items.

Smiling to myself as I mused life over and my shipmates continued their possibly-deadly game of tage, candy canes as sharp as any blade whizzing in all direction, I spun the knife I had thrown earlier around in my hand and sheathed it, guiding the craft toward Likang Island.

-some time later-

"Hey, Argy!"

I turned my gaze upward to where Aliza and Reza, bored of their game of tag, had been enjoying a pair of lollipops the pirate captain had produced. "Yes, Al?"

She was staring off at the horizon ahead of us, her brow furrowed. "I see smoke, Argy!"

My eyes narrowed as I swept my vision over the area in question. "I see a Navy ship fighting four larger pirate ships. The pirates fly a Jolly Roger with horns coming from the forehead."

She whistled. "Woooooww, Argy, you can see _far_."

"Au! You ain't seen nothing yet, au!" Reza flapped his wings, then settled them against his sides. "What should we do, Captain? Arau!"

She frowned. "Weeelll, the Navy _is_ our enemy, but four-on-one is unfair, 'specially if they're bigger." She looked down at me. "Who started it?"

I scanned the area, spying the island and the respective directions the different ships were pointing even as the battle came into view by the naked eye. "It looks like the Navy ship was moving around Likang Island to pull into port when the pirates came out of a bay and attacked. Right now, the Navy ship is surrounded by them; she has no mast, her foredeck is trashed and it looks like they're getting ready to shell her again."

Aliza brought her hand up in front of her and clenched it into a fist, her expression livid. "Cheaters! Bullies! I'm gonna smash 'em all up!" Crouching down, she grunted once before screaming, "SWEET-SWEET ROCKETS!"

She erupted into the air, her feet spraying sugar everywhere as she blasted toward the cloud of smoke, her voice echoing behind her.

"CATCH UP AND HELP ME BEAT THEM ALL UP!"

I sighed and looked up at Reza, the options flashing through my head in an instant. "We're still flying Navy colors, Reza. I doubt that's very fair."

He shook his head, then tilted his wings. "Au! I'll announce our presence, au! Follow me one second after, au!"

"Remember," I cautioned, "This isn't a serious fight; we're just teaching a lesson to some scum. Captain's orders."

He grinned, then flashed off, blazing past Aliza as if she was standing still. As the two of them shot away, I lashed the helm and sails down so that the craft would continue sailing in the direction of the island, then pondered going below to retrieve my larger weaponry. Taking another look at the pirates, I grinned to myself and drew my two pistols.

"The Blind Gunfighter is here, no?"

With that, I, too, flashed forward, my feet pounding up the surf like it was earth. The water jerked away from my feet as if repulsed by some invisible force, but it never went very far before I was already away, each step leaving an afterimage twenty yards away from the previous one.

I spotted Aliza on the deck of the Navy ship, screaming wildly as she fired off volleys of candy canes and large, hard-skinned candies that smashed into the sides of the pirate ships like cannonballs. Above her, Reza, having already proclaimed our attack, was playing tag with the riflemen below, flashing in and out of existence at speeds none of them could follow.

Smiling wolfishly, I leaped one final time, ran up the side of the nearest pirate ship and erupted over the side, the wave I had generated from my speed slamming into the ship and attracting the attention of the crew aboard. Grinning, I held my pistols across my chest, each hand next to the opposite shoulder.

"Doom has come; do not resist!"

Their eyes narrowed and they roared, turning away from the Navy ship and charging me; with a smirk, I slammed into them, sending four of them rolling away and seven more flying into the ocean below. Spinning, I spotted one man igniting the fuse on a cannon and casually swiped one pistol toward him, firing a single bullet that cut the fuse, blew out the flame, ricocheted off a nail and slammed into the armor he wore, staggering him back a few steps. Just as he caught himself, I slammed a round kick into his head that sent him flying back and through a group that had been attempting to charge me.

Spinning back around, I looked up and analyzed the rigging for a split-second; then, grinning amusedly, I raised my pistols and fired off three rounds, cutting the main lines and sending the spars tumbling to the deck. Before they could strike, I leaped backwards, slamming into the wheelhouse and smashing the helm to pieces before digging in my heels and flashing forward, slamming into the central mast and snapping it in two. As it slowly tumbled into the ocean and the ship, still moving due to the other two sails, began rotating in that direction, I leaped to the side and smirked at the stunned crew.

"Have fun fixing that; that is, if my captain decides to let you off easy."

I turned and was about to leap to the next ship when a snickering voice came from behind me.

"Have fun eating my lead, cuz!"

I heard a shot and turned, swinging Ras'cal around in front of me and catching the small spherical bullet with the barrel. Continuing the rotation with that arm, I flung the bullet away into the air after checking to make sure Reza was well away from there, then flashed forward and ended right in front of the shocked, weasel-faced man, Lac'sar digging into the flesh under his chin.

"I don't think you quite grasped the concept of the Pirates of Doom having attacked you." Smiling toothily, I dug the pistol a little deeper into his chin, causing him to gargle and take a step back. "See, my captain, the little powerhouse that's currently disposing of your boarding party, didn't take to your style of fighting; so, just because of that, she ordered your entire four-ship fleet smashed. I _was_ going to let you off easy, but now you've aggravated me." Spinning Ras'cal around, I spun the pistol into the air and formed a fist with that hand. "Say good-bye to your ship, scuzzwad."

With that, I slammed my fist down, splintering the deck and sending vibrations through the whole craft that literally tore it apart. Smirking, I leaped up, catching Ras'cal as I flew through the air and spun toward the next ship, a fine-looking triple-master. To my right, Reza was cutting another ship apart, while Aliza was standing on the deck of the Navy ship, surrounded by bodies as she sent storms of sugar-based products at the third ship.

Smiling, I hit the deck of the fourth ship and skidded to a stop amid a storm of splinters kicked up by my landing. The crew on this ship eyed me amusedly, something I didn't take kindly to, then a small, wiry man stepped forward, a glint in his eye.

"So, you kiddies think you can take on the Demon Lord Pirates and live?" He chuckled and threw his chest out proudly. "I am Captain Diego la Diablo, second-in-command of the fleet and brother of Lorass la Diablo, the most powerful man in the East Blue; his ship is even now fighting that Navy ship and that strange little girl, meaning he will soon awaken! You have no chance of-"

I sighed and rested Ras'cal on my shoulder, Lac'sar ready in my left hand. "I don't suppose you learned anything from the fact that I just sank one of your ships, a raven is currently shredding another ship, my captain just wiped out your boarding party on that Navy ship and is right now flattening that other ship with a fury you can only get from young girls, while I am standing here getting ready to tear this ship a new one." Cocking my head to the side, I smiled wickedly. "Hope none of you are Devil-Fruit users, 'cause this ships about to become nothing more than jetsam."

The man cackled and settled into a fighting stance, a smirk on his face. "It just so happens that _I_ am a Devil Fruit man, little boy." His smile disappeared as triangular ears grew out of his head; long fangs emerged from his mouth and his arms gained wings in the familiar shape of a bat. "Scream-scream razors!"

A high-pitched sound erupted from his mouth, sending razor-sharp strands of sound toward me.

I felt all emotion slip from me and blandly took the attack, feeling nothing as the sound waves cut into my clothing and then vanished. The man frowned, then a bellow shook the air and he smiled wickedly.

"Ahh! My brother is awake! Soon you will all fall beneath his wrath!"

There was another bellow and I flicked my gaze toward where Aliza was standing on the enemy ship, sending wave after wave of sweets at a huge man with a lizard's head. I estimated respective strengths, then turned my attention back to Diego la Diablo and calmly raised Lac'sar up and aimed it at his head.

"You are correct; your brother is indeed awake. I do not know if my captain can deal with him on her own; therefore, I must end this quickly." Bowing my head, I continued in a low voice. "Forgive me for taking this fight seriously."

He cackled madly. "Hah! You think you can-"

"Barrage of ten thousand skulls."

I pulled the trigger, sending the bullet into his skull through the left eye. The projectile came out his left ear, shooting into the ear of another pirate standing farther back; he, too, died before sending the missile into another man's eye. This pattern continued until the entire deck was cleared and the bullet was lodged in the corpse of Diego as he finished falling down; my expression blank, I raised my fist up.

"I am sorry."

I brought my fist down and the entire craft exploded in splinters and scraps of cloth, chunks of steel and barrels of gunpowder. The latter exploded from the sheer intensity of my attack, further destroying the craft as I sank down with the ship. The instant my feet touched the water, however, I did not sink like the ship; instead, the water began racing away from my feet like before, creating a sort of crater in the water that kept deepening. Turning my gaze to the craft where Aliza was battling the lizard-man, I began moving forward, the craters forming beneath each foot not keeping up with my stride as I continued walking forward.

Reza's ship split in half and he appeared next to me, his eyes knowing as he perched on my shoulder. "Ugly memories, arau?"

I felt my blank expression slowly growing dark. "I killed her, Reza, and I am not sorry. Her children grow ever more despicable after me, don't you think? Ironic how she can still haunt me even after her death."

He looked at me concernedly. "Au! The witch is dead-au!-, don't carry the rage any more, au! It will consume you like-au!- your siblings, arau!"

I snarled and spat into the sea, the place my spittle landed turning to steam. "I won't, my friend; but just _seeing_ her breed makes me sick."

"Au! The mirror must be an-au!- abomination to you, then. Arau!"

I nodded at his attempted joke. "It is."

"And me, too, arau!"

"No, you are a more pure breed, Reza."

With that, I shot forward, leaping up onto the deck of the ship just in time to shoot a pair of swordsmen off Aliza that had been attempting to stab her in the back while she knelt, panting from exhaustion, on the chest of the lizard-man, who looked very much dead. She looked up in surprise, then smiled broadly and stood up.

"First Mate Reza, First Mate Argy, I wanna introduce you to our new crew member!" Looking around, she spotted whatever it was that she was looking for somewhere on the other side of the massive bulk of Diablo and waved. "C'mon over and meet my first mates!"

There was a scuttling sound, then a teenaged girl poked her head out from behind the nearest mast, her expression wary; eying her back, I spun my pistols around and holstered them before looking at Aliza.

"Get her off here, Captain. I am going to sink this miserable ship to the bottom of the ocean."

She shrugged off-handedly and jumped down from the big man, smiling as she moved past us. "Go ahead; there's no treasure on here, anyway; that annoying bully said all of their treasure was spent on cannons and ships."

Nodding, I looked at the nervous-looking teenager. "Reza!"

He blurred into existence behind her, then she yelped as his talons dug into her and the two of them blurred away. Aliza looked up at me worriedly.

"You all right, Argy? You look really angry."

I smiled thinly. "I'll be fine once I sink this ship, Captain."

She shrugged and nodded, turning away from me. "Alright, but make it quick. We still need to find some treasure around here."

With that, she took off, propelling herself away with a blast of sugar; my lips drawing back into a sneer, I raised both fists above my head and roared before bringing them down savagely, fracturing anything that the ship might have had left for a superstructure into pieces.

As the ship sank around me, I heard an incongruous shout from Aliza.

"FIRST MATE REZA! WHERE'S MY SHIP! DID HE SINK IT, TOO?!" There was a pause, then another shout. "I KNEW THAT IT WAS THERE! I WAS TESTING YOU!"

-Dis zorack'shiel-


	6. Befriending Beauty and the Beast

BlueRyuu- I am glad you liked it. I enjoy providing others with enjoyment; it is why I write. Well, that and I am implanting a secret, subliminal message in my words that will one day enable me to take over the world with a single thought. The witch message shall come out in due time; all I shall say at this point is that I plan to utilize a certain real-world legend to form a tale of armies and wars... And yes, I like the name, too. Pirates of Doom is so much better than Kiss of Death, no?

Page-Mistress- Why, because they're twins, silly!

-Divius lon sha'rei-

I strode toward the _Doom_ through the falling chunks of the ship, stepping over one of the enemy's sinking Jolly Rogers without a second glance as I moved toward the rest of my crew; I couldn't see any survivors from any of the ships, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing that there were no more people to take care of; a curse that more people had died because of me. As I drew near the ship, I could see Reza eying me carefully, to make sure the dark hatred I had for the Sea Devils had subsided. Giving him a reassuring nod, I turned my attention to where Aliza was very loudly arguing over something with the new member of the crew.

"-BUT WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER PERSON TO PLAY TAG WITH!"

I felt a drop of sweat form on the back of my head and slowly trickle down my neck. Climbing into the _Doom_, I moved to the back of the ship and released the lashes that had been holding the helm and sails in place, taking control of the craft again as Reza returned to his place on the mast. Meanwhile, Aliza and the stranger continued arguing.

"But I don' wanna be a piwate... It's scawy..." The girl flinched as Aliza stomped her foot down.

"IT IS _NOT_ SCARY! IT'S FUN! AND I WANNA 'NOTHER PLAYER FOR TAG!" Spinning to face me, she folded her arms across her chest. "Tell her, Argy! Tell her to stay."

I turned my gaze to the girl and inspecting her eyes before nodding. "You have no family, no?"

The girl gasped and took a step back, fear plastering itself across her face. "How did you know? Awe you a demon?"

I looked away from her, to keep her from becoming more nervous by my sightless gaze. "Your eyes reveal much crying and little comfort; it is a simple matter of deduction to rationalize that you no longer have a familial relationship with anyone." There was a whimper and I turned back to see the girl looking worriedly down at Aliza, who was lying on her back in a daze.

"Tooooo manyyy biiiiig wooooords..." She said, a trickle of drool crawling down the side of her mouth. The girl and I traded a glance, a drop of sweat forming on the back of our heads, then she shook her head and looked down sadly.

"I don't have a family, you'we wight. They wewe all... All..." She sobbed and buried her face in her hands, a muffled wail coming out from behind her fingers. I couldn't understand it, but I didn't need to; it was obvious what had happened.

"They were killed, weren't they?"

"DAMN YOU!"

I felt my right cheek twitch; from the corner of my vision, I saw Aliza snap out of her daze and look up worriedly as the girl straightened up, all trace of nervousness or fear evaporating as a feral glint appeared in her eyes.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL, SCUM! HOW DARE YOU MAKE HER CRY?! I'LL CUT YOUR HEART OUT AND FEED IT TO THE GULLS!"

With that, she leaped forward, her foot snapping up as she propelled herself into a flying side kick.

"STOMP-STOMP CANNON!"

I felt my cheek twitch again, then I raised my left hand, leaving my right hand on the helm to keep us aimed at the island as the last chunks of the sinking vessels around us scraped against our side. Her foot connected with my hand, the sheer power of the impact causing a shock wave that shook the ship; narrowing my eyes, I wrapped my hands around her foot and jerked downward, causing her to gasp slightly as she was snapped up and abruptly found herself at my eye level, my blindfolded gaze burning into hers.

"Don't. Make. Me. Kill. You."

She paled as, behind her, Aliza and Reza, who had joined her from nowhere, scuttled over to the opposite side of the ship. Then her expression turned livid again.

"You think you can kill me, scum?! I'm the one that's gonna do th' killin' 'round here, slime-ridden dripwad! YOU MADE HER CRY!"

Bringing my knee up to steady the helm, I raised my right hand and caught her other foot before she could move it, squeezing ever so slightly on a certain nerve. She screamed in pain, then twisted away; releasing my hold on her, I placed one hand back on the helm and lowered my leg again, my other hand ready to fight her again. She, in turn, crouched down, her feet digging into the deck as she prepared another attack.

"EEEEEEEENNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

The sheer force of the will behind the shout startled me like nothing else had; turning our gazes to where Aliza was stomping toward us, her gaze fiery.

"I DON'T CARE WHO MADE WHO CRY, NOBODY FIGHTS ON MY SHIP UNLESS _I_ SAY SO!" Coming between us, she pointed at me. "ARGY, APOLOGIZE FOR MAKING HER CRY!"

Looking across at the girl, I acquiesced to my captain's wishes. "I am sorry; I did not intend to make you cry."

Whipping around, she snapped her finger up to point at the girl, who backed away ever so slightly, a surprised look on her face. "AND YOU! APOLOGIZE FOR ATTACKING ARGY WHEN HE WAS JUST TRYING TO FIGURE YOU OUT!"

The girl looked up at me, the feral glint slowly fading as she nodded surly. "I 'pologize."

"There, everything's better." Taking a deep breath, Aliza then shouted, "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!"

"Au! It's schizophrenia, au!"

Both girls and I turned to Reza, who preened himself before continuing, "It's when more-au!- than one mind is in a-au!- body; it's not-au!- very common, but it-arau!- can be dangerous if-au!- one mind is radically-au!- different from the other, arau!"

I frowned as I looked at the girl. "So you are another mind of hers?"

She nodded sourly. "Featherhead figured it out. I am Licone; the oth'r one's Nicole. We both share the same body, but she's a lot nicer th'n me." Looking up at me, she continued grudgingly, "It started when Nicole was five years, two months, eight days old...

-La'cresp no delaius-

Nicole's parents loved her very much. Her mother wasn't beautiful by many people's standards, but her father worshiped her mother, while she in turn loved him intensely. When Nicole was born, they both celebrated her as the most beautiful girl they had ever seen.

As she grew up, she learned to love exploring; she crawled, swam, walked, ran and climbed all over the island that she called home. In her explorations, she found many treasures, all of which she took back to her father. One day, she found this strange fruit, which she thought her mother might be able to turn into a pie.

When she took it to her father, however, his face turned pale and he asked her worriedly if she had taken a bite of it. She replied that she hadn't, that she wanted her mother to make it into a pie. He sighed in relief and took it from her before telling her it was a Devil Fruit, a fruit that would give her power, but would take away her ability to swim if she ate it. Not wanting to lose her ability to swim, she sighed relievedly and thanked her father for keeping her from eating it.

Not long after, They came.

There were twelve of them; all of them were pirates, all of them carried swords as big as they were and all of them were hungry for blood. They butchered the entire village and would have left if Nicole hadn't come down the path from her house looking for her friends. When she saw what had happened, she screamed and ran back home, the twelve following her.

Her father ran outside and was cut down instantly, while her mother they chopped apart much slower. When they turned to her, their blades red from her parent's blood and her sobs filling the air...

I was born.

I knew only that this person I had lived with my entire life was in terrible pain; I wanted nothing more than to stop her pain.

I kicked the first man right between the legs. It felt good to watch him scream and drop to his knees, but I could see that my enemies were far larger than me; a memory of a fruit swam into my mind and I turned, running for the shelf that her father had placed the fruit on, the men swarming behind me and bellowing ruthlessly. The shelf was too high for me; looking around, I spotted a broom and grabbed it, using it to knock the shelf down. Diving on the fruit, I inhaled it as quickly as I could.

The men stopped; for what, I still don't know. All I know is that my feet suddenly pulsed and I felt power surge through them. I felt wonderful; I just wanted to bathe in the blood of the murderers. Turning on them, I leaped, my feet tearing them apart as our screams came together, my vengeful cries and their fearful ones.

-Levon de sorcrass-

"... When she woke back up, I had already washed their blood off, not wanting her to be hurt any more; I had also managed to get her aboard their craft, threatening the sailors aboard with death if they didn't take us to the nearest port."

The girl clenched her fists together. "Since then, we've been hopping from island to island, trying to run from her parents' deaths." Spitting to the side, she glared at me. "And I take down anyone that makes her cry!"

I narrowed my eyes at her; her eyes said that she spoke the truth. Shrugging as I looked down at Aliza, who had sat down cross-legged during the story and was staring in awe at the girl, Licone.

"So, Captain, do you still want them as part of our crew." Raising my gaze back up to the slightly startled-looking girl, I continued blandly, "I don't know what sort of skills the other one has, but this one looks to be good in a fight."

Licone replied in surprise. "Wait, what?"

I looked up at her. "You have Devil Fruit powers; we can always use those in a battle."

"No, I mean, _she's_ the captain?!" She pointed at Aliza. "I thought _you_ were the captain, you bein' th' stronger one 'n all..."

"HE'S NOT STRONGER THAN ME! HE'S MY FIRST MATE AND _I_ AM THE CAPTAIN, WHICH MAKES ME STRONGER!" Aliza inhaled deeply as Licone stood frozen in a backwards lean, then sighed and rubbed her chin before replying to my question. "Dunno, Argy; I'm real strong and you're pretty good, too. Rezzy's pretty strong, too, for a parr- raven." She corrected herself quickly; Reza and I shared a grin before Licone straightened up and folded her arms across her chest.

"Nicole may not look it, but she's a genius. She can read maps like an ol' navigator and she's mem'rized every star chart she's seen in a matter of seconds. Not jus' that, she reads a lot, each book makin' her jus' that much more smart." She smirked. "Heck, she likes explorin' an' readin' more'n she likes bein' 'roun' people, I think."

I smiled softly. "I know the feeling." Straightening, I raised an eyebrow at Aliza. "So, Captain? Does she stay or go?"

Aliza continued rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Why do boys get ta grow beards... And girls don't..." Pumping her fist in the air, she hollered, "A MYSTERY TO SOLVE!"

I sighed. "It's hormonally programmed into us, Captain. Just like girls get breasts, boys get beards."

Licone smirked at me and I looked up at her. "What?"

"Nothin'. Jus' that most guys are too squeamish about talkin' about girl's bodies." She formed a fist and blew it off like a smoking pistol before her grin turned hard. "Or ain't squeamish 'nough."

Chuckling, I turned the ship around the edge of the island and brought the harbor into view. "I am Argyle Finch; I do not _do_ squeamish."

She smiled, then her eyes widened. "Nicole's wakin' up; I'm gonna vamoose b'fore she gets here." Smiling at us, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her entire presence changed; her shoulders slumped as her arms came up and hugged her chest, her gaze was sad and distant, her mouth was trembling.

Then she looked up at us and I spotted what hadn't been there before; the intelligence that Licone had told us of.

"So... I guess you heawd the whowe stowy, huh?"

I nodded and Aliza smiled comfortingly at her. "Yeah, you, uh, you told us."

"It was Licone, wasn't it?"

The question wasn't directed at me, but Aliza didn't look quite sure how to answer that, so I just nodded. "Yes."

"She doesn't know I know." She rubbed her arms tiredly, a sadness permeating her being. "I've known she was pwotecting me since I woke up on that ship; I'm at once gwatefuw towawd and a wittle scawed of hew. Aww I can say, though, is that I wouwdn't be awive today if it wasn't fow hew."

Looking up at us, she revealed a gaze with a depth of sadness to it I hadn't seen in years. "Pwease don't be offended by anything she might have done wwong; she onwy wants to pwotect me."

Smiling reassuringly at her, I looked down at Aliza.

"Captain, I like her. What say we let her join."

I heard the girl gasp, then Aliza rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Sure, why not? I like her, and we need a new player for tag." Grinning broadly, she gave the thumbs-up. "She's in! Welcome to th' Pirates of Doom!"

Nicole smiled at us, a pair of tears sliding down her face. "Th-Thank you."

I frowned down at Aliza. "Now that that's settled, you wanna explain why you've been doing that?"

She looked up at me, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Doing what?"

"Rubbing your chin, of course. Are you trying to look smart?"

Her hands snapped down to her sides. "Um, no?"

"Riiiiight." Groaning, I aimed our prow toward the harbor. "You might be able to destroy a ship and take down fellows twice your size, but you can't lie for seabiscuit."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

-Crios dya'nortem-


	7. Of Plundering and Demons

To BlueRyuu- I am so pleased that you like it; I agree, I like to be confusing. However, much will be revealed in the future.

And it don't help that I'm insane, soooo... Yeah. Randomivity might get involved; I shall try to alleviate it with violence, 'kay?

Don't expect the pace of updates to continue; it takes me roughly two hours to write a chapter after I figure out what to do, but I rarely have two straight hours to work with. I've just been off work for the weekend, so I've been updating as much as I can. If I don't get another chapter off today, don't expect another update 'til Saturday or Sunday.

-Lystro ve colocol-

As we pulled into port, which I noted was full of ships flying the Jolly Rogers, and I tended to the docking activities, anchoring the _Doom_ at the point closest to the town for either a quick getaway or, if the females I was attached to were anything like the others I knew, to make slightly easier the loading up of the innumerable packages they would undoubtedly desire to purchase, Aliza and Nicole traded life stories and I listened in, gaining a little more information about my shipmates.

Aliza was ten and a half years old, she liked sweet things of any kind-no surprise there- and had gained her powers when she was eight years old and still in the Roguetown Orphanage, when she had stolen a fruit from the museum and discovered it was edible. She had always wanted to be a pirate and dreamed of becoming the Pirate Queen, because 'King is for boys and I'm a girl, so I'm gonna be the Pirate Queen!' She also wanted to build the greatest treasure in the world, but wasn't sure how to do it. Reza had gleefully offered his services in assisting her in that endeavor, which didn't surprise me in the slightest; she accepted happily. Her favorite type of clothing was short sleeves and skirts; anything else was just details. Except for pink; she wanted pink somewhere on her and declared that 'pink is the color of girls and girls should wear pink because of that'.

Nicole, on the other hand, was fourteen years old. She liked meat of any kind-something of a surprise to me, since most meat-lovers are crazy loons- but only if cooked a certain way; she liked her beef well-done with basil as the flavor, for example, while pork could only be enjoyed properly if basted in a sauce of peppermint and fish oil. She loved books, maps and charts; her favorite type of clothing were long sleeves, shoulderless shirts, pants and combat boots. Her favorite color was red, just like her hair, and her second-favorite was green, like her eyes. She said it was because her 'mother had given me red hair, while my father had bestowed upon me sea-green eyes'.

On a side note, she said the reason she had been on the Navy ship was because she had apparently garnered a two million beli bounty for her head; we all figured it was because of Licone's 'protective care', but none of us said anything. They had been taking her to Navy Headquarters for execution.

Needless to say, though, the two girls got into an almost-heated argument over the correct color of clothing and the style of wear of said clothing; Reza and I just traded looks before I announced that we had arrived.

Aliza bolted up from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the deck, clapping her hands excitedly. "YAY! We're there!" She began running around in circles, excitement in her voice as she chanted, "We're there, we're there, we're there!"

Nicole stood up as well, worry in her expression. "You don't suppose that thewe's any Navy hewe, do you?"

I shrugged as I dropped the gangplank and stabilized it on the edge of the _Doom, _eying the empty port suspiciously. "Considering how few people there are, I'd say no, not really." Turning back to her, I gave her a reassuring grin. "We're more likely to run into pirates, since nobody's around and the bay's full o' the Jolly Rogers." The two girls turned to look at the bay and Nicole's lower lip began trembling, then I smirked. "Don't worry, though; if they're anything like those pathetic ones we ran into out there, the captain, Reza and me will teach them a thing or two about common courtesy."

Aliza cracked her knuckles and grinned wolfishly, a dark, fiery aura burning around her. "Let the punishment begin."

Reza appeared next to her, his own aura just as dark and fiery. "Au! Pain to all, arau!"

"Destruction of the world!"

"Death-arau!- to the masses!"

"We shall hurt everything and everyone everywhere!"

"Au! Terror shall-au!- course through their very souls, arau!"

Nicole and I sweatdropped as we stood on the other side of the ship from the pair. "You don't suppose they awe sewious, do you?"

I replied in the same low voice she had used. "Knowing them, yeah, they are."

"FIRST MATE ARGY! GENIUS NICKY!" We both froze and turned to see Aliza beckoning invitingly to us, Reza perched malevolently on her shoulder as they both gave us sinister, demonic looks. "Come! There are many pirates to beat up and little time to do it in! Join us and we will rule the island as captain and crew!"

Nicole and I sweatdropped again and I felt the need to point out, "Uh, Captain, there's nobody out here. Just ships and us."

The two of them blinked, losing their demon auras as they turned and surveyed the port, Aliza putting her hand to her brow to shade her eyes as she scanned the port for any sign of people. Finding none, she looked over at me.

"Um, I don't see anybody, Argy."

I nodded as I stretched out my gaze, sweeping the town. "I only see three or four people still there." Turning away, I strode up the gangplank and turned to wave the rest on impatiently. "Come on; we haven't got all day and there's treasure still waiting to be gathered."

Reza and Aliza shot past me, the thought of treasure animating them like nothing else could have as they blitzed through the town, ransacking the stores and houses like the little pillagers they were. I felt a drop of sweat form on the back of my head again as Nicole carefully moved up beside me, her expression slightly nervous.

"I don't know if I shouwd go in thewe, Awgy."

I smirked and offered her my left arm. "Come, my dear; I shall ensure your safety as no other can."

She blinked in surprise at me, then smiled shyly and took my arm. "Thank you, Awgy."

"Please, my friends call me Argyle." I began moving toward the town, sighing as I spotted Reza furiously flapping toward us with a huge bag stuffed full of objects that undoubtedly had a shiny quality to them.

"Arau! The haul is good here, au!" He cawed gleefully as he passed us; dropping the bag off next to the ship, he shot past us back into the town and Nicole and I sweatdropped as he bypassed Aliza, who was staggering back with a sack full of shinies and sweets, a broad grin on her face.

"I LOVE THIS TOWN!"

As she passed us by, huffing and panting toward the ship, I traded a wry look with Nicole.

"I would have to say that they are incorrigible."

"I wouwd have to agwee with you."

She and I moved through the town, watching in wry amusement and almost awe as Reza and Aliza took anything that wasn't nailed down and had anything remotely shiny about it; I even saw my captain lugging an unfinished boat toward the dock, but then Reza destroyed it by accidentally dropping the giant fish tank he had been carrying around on it. The pair began squabbling, then Nicole broke away from me and ran over to a small building that had various wanted posters and announcements on it. Tearing one of the papers off, she began reading it; curious, I walked over to her and read over her shoulder.

_COME ONE! COME ALL! _

_COME TO THE GREATEST GLADIATOR COMPETITION IN THE EAST BLUE!_

_WAGER YOUR CURRENT SHIP FOR ONE OF FOUR POSSIBLE CRAFT, EACH OF WHICH BOASTS MORE SPACE AND MORE COMBAT ABILITY THAN ANY OTHER SHIP ON THE SEAS! _

_IF YOUR CREW CAN WIN ALL FOUR OF THE BATTLES, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE YOUR SHIP, WITH FIRST PLACE RECEIVING THE NEXT CHOICE AND SO ON!_

_ENTRANTS MAY COME TO MOUNT CORIOS IN THE CENTER OF THIS ISLAND TO REGISTER!_

_HURRY, ENTRY IS LIMITED TO PIRATES ONLY!_

Smiling, I looked over to where Aliza was walking past us, a sack of gold on her back. "Captain, wanna win a big ship to carry all your treasure by beating up a bunch of pirates?"

She turned to look at me, a wild light in her eyes that made me slightly nervous. "YEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHH! WHERE?!"

I smirked and dug my heels into the ground. "Nicole knows." Flashing away, I returned to the ship, retrieving my weaponry and my overcoat before returning to the group. As I appeared behind Nicole, who was still trying to explain it to Aliza, she turned and spotted me. Her face paled and she backed away before I tilted my hat further up on my head and smirked.

"Sorry; forgot you haven't seen me in full war gear."

She looked me up and down, then shook her head and returned to Aliza.

"So we have to go to the mountain in the centew of the iswand and defeat fouw othew piwate cwews; if we can do that, we get to pick one of fouw ships to own."

Aliza slammed one fist into her palm, a glint in her eyes. "Yeah! We'll jus' beat up some weak pirates and get ourselves a free ship! FIRST MATE REZZY!"

Reza materialized beside her, a smirk on his face. "Au! I already saw the-au!- posters, arau! We goin' for it? Arau!"

"Bet your tailfeathers we are!" She slammed one fist into the air and began running toward the mountain in the middle of the island, a broad grin on her face. "We're gonna get ourselves another ship! WOOHOO!"

-Levant nis jrakul-

We followed her to the center of the island, walking along the path that was named 'Mount Crios Trail' on the supposition that it would lead to the center of the island. As we walked, I began picking up the sounds of chanting that grew louder as we neared the mountain. As we reached the base of the mountain, where the trail drilled into the mountain, we found ourselves facing a small ticket booth blocking the way, with a gloomy woman greeting us.

"I'm sorry, the competition's about to be closed down."

"WHAT?!" Aliza's lower lip quivered. "B-B-But _whyyyyy_?!"

The woman sighed sadly. "One of the competing crews just got wiped out in a fight with a Navy ship a few minutes ago; without the required sixteen teams, the tournament cannot be fought. Those are the rules."

I smirked. "Well, what if we were to tell you we came to compete?"

Her expression performed a one-eighty as she dove for the snail on her desk and began speaking frantically into it.

"Joe, hold the books! I found our sixteenth team! What? Yeah, they have all four." She eyed us calculatingly. "They don't look like much; but who cares? We have all sixteen! What? Oh, yeah, sure." She looked over at us. "Name of team and competitors?"

Aliza smirked and posed, one hand forming a 'V' while the other one posted on her hip. "I'm Aliza Alicia Alamonium, treasure finder extraordinaire!"

I followed her lead and loomed over her, slightly off to her right and with my left shoulder over her right shoulder. My left hand came up and tilted my hat down over my eyes as I smirked. "I am Argyle Finch, the Blind Gunfighter."

Nicole blinked, then she went back-to-back with me and said, albeit a little nervously, "I'm Nicole, the navigator..."

Reza dropped down and perched on Aliza's left shoulder, his beaked face obviously smirking. "Au! I am Reza of the Talonfeather Clan, arau! I am also called-arau!- the Reaper! Arau!"

The woman looked askance at us, then sighed. "And your crew's name?"

Aliza smirked. "We are the Pirates of Doom!"

The woman just shook her head and repeated everything we had said into the snail. The reply was a loud and boisterous laughing that we could hear even from behind the ticket booth's glass. Aliza's face turned livid.

"STOP LAUGHING OR I'LL DROWN YOU!"

I winced and looked at the woman. "I would tell him to stop laughing, if I was him. He might end up face-down in the ocean's floor."

She smirked and jerked a thumb behind her. "Follow the signs for competitors; can't miss it."

We moved beyond her, following her instructions toward the Competitors Box, as the signs proclaimed it to be. When we arrived outside the door, a huge man looked us over once before cracking a grin and pushing the door open and bellowing inside, "Make way for the new meat!"

I waved Aliza and the others through first before pinning the huge man with my gaze. "Next crack like that gets you a lobotomy without anesthesia."

The man must have heard something in my voice, because he paled and took a step back; glaring one more time at him, I moved through the door, letting it close behind me as I sighed in exasperation at the scene in front of me.

Reza was engaged in a glaring contest with three other animals, while Nicole was nervously hiding behind the raven and Aliza from the glares, amused looks and animal noises the other pirates were making. Aliza, in the meantime, was staring down a man who had obviously just made a crack about her crew.

Sweeping the room with my blindfolded gaze, I pinned down several people that I knew would be difficult opponents, four of whom seemed to be in the same team. In return, I got various suspicious glances and uncomfortable looks before a woman suddenly bolted to her feet, her hands going to one of the four swords at her waist as she grinned at me, a little trickle of sweat going down her face.

"I don't believe it! Argyle Finch, the Blind Gunfighter?! What's somebody like _you_ doing here?"

All attention was turned to us as I smiled softly, my left hand gesturing toward Aliza. "My captain wanted a new ship. I am here to help her get it."

She chuckled as she looked at Aliza. "Her? Your _captain_? You've gotta be kidding; the Blind Gunfighter wouldn't be caught dead-"

She choked off whatever else she might have said as Aliza appeared beneath her, a spear-like candy cane point tapping against her throat. My own rifle was out, aimed at the point between her eyes where the nose began tapering into the forehead, while Reza was perched on her shoulder, a gleam in his eye. Aliza spat to the side before speaking.

"Better watch your mouth, lady; my crew and I don't like tearing people's heads off unless we absolutely have to, but we _do_ enjoy beating them up."

Smirking, I added my own two cents worth. "I joined her crew and so I follow her commands. If you are wise, you will not question it any further."

Behind her, three more forms rose; a hulking man with a huge mace on his back, a wiry boy with knives on every inch of his body and a short, almost petite woman with an evil gleam in her eye. The woman spoke up.

"Are you threatening a member of my crew?" She looked over at Nicole, a nasty gleam in her eye. "And yet you leave one of your own wide open like that?" She turned her gaze down on Aliza, the smirk growing on her face. "What a pathetic-"

"Careful."

I spoke from behind the three, my rifle digging into the skin on the back of the wiry boy's neck while my shotgun was resting across it and the barrel placed at the small of the big man's back. The woman turned her head, her eyes wide as I continued with a smile.

"Pirates are funny creatures, aren't they? You get a lot of worms that dig around in the dirt, barely able to get anywhere beyond their own little tunnels." My smile turned toothy. "And then there are the ravens which feed on them freely." Cocking my weapons, I concluded sarcastically, "You are lucky we have a competition to enjoy, or I'd kill you all right now for insulting my captain and her crew."

The air grew thick with tension as the woman stood that way for a moment, then Nicole spoke up, causing me to raise my eyebrow in surprise.

"Um, Captain? We shouwd weawwy be pwanning fow ouw battwes."

There were a couple of chuckles that instantly went quiet as I turned to look at the offending people, then Aliza spoke up.

"Alright, crew! Let's go find a corner so Nicole can plot out our brilliant victory!"

Smiling, I replaced the hammers of my weapons and settled them back on my shoulders, grinning wickedly at the four as I stepped past them.

"See you on the battlefield, kiddies."

I'm sorry; they had _really_ aggravated me. I'd forgotten how cocky and arrogant most pirates were, Aliza being the only other pirate I'd been with in years. With that woman's noxious presence, however, I'd felt all the old irritation swell back up, bringing out my own cockiness that, unlike most of theirs, came from long, hard, brutal wars.

As we moved to a corner of a room, Nicole snagging a large, leather-bound book with the word 'Rules' on it from a table, the inhabitants of that corner didn't budge, their faces solemn and confident. My own eyes narrowed behind the blindfold, then Nicole spoke.

"Excuse me, awe you using this cownew?"

One of the four almost-clones smiled, revealing a set of jagged teeth. "Nope."

"Couwd we use it, pwease?"

His smile didn't waver. "Nope."

I sighed. "Nicole, move aside. I'll kill them and then we can use their spot."

The man laughed as he stood up, then Aliza grunted. "I get dibs on Smiley."

"I'll kill the rest, then." Reaching for my rifle, I was about to unleash all of the wrath of any demon one could think of on those poor, defenseless idiots when the swordswoman spoke up sharply.

"You idiots! Don't get yourselves killed before the game starts!"

The men looked behind us at her, their cocksureness faltering slightly. "What're ya talkin' about, Shasta?" The leader looked back at us, his grin barely wavering. "I just see a little girl, a tasty fruit, a juicy bird and a blind gunfighter. What's there ta worry about?" He turned his attention back to her. "Besides, when did ya begin worrying about crews other than your own?"

Her voice was cold. "I don't want to die today; provoke them any further, though, and we'll all be killed."

The surety in her voice sent shivers down my spine; I had forgotten what having a reputation was like, too. It felt... _Good_.

Reza cackled, spreading his wings as his dark eyes rested unwaveringly on the men. "Death to one and death to all, the demon heeds his master's call! Seek ye not the path to Hell, for this blind man knows it well!" Tossing his head back, he cackled loudly before continuing, "The Pirates of Doom want your place, arau! Hand it over before your souls are-arau!- eternally _damned_!"

The four seemed to roll the thought over in their minds before standing up and moving to make room for us; Nicole thanked them, then we sat down and she began reading through the rule book. While she did that, Aliza sat cross-legged on the seat the leader of the other group had been on, a grin on her face as she played with the candy cane she had been holding the entire time, Reza settled down on another seat and, tucking his head under his wing, began sleeping. I sat down on the final seat, folding my arms and watching the rest of the room to ensure they didn't try anything.

In the meantime, the roar of a crowd cheering became apparent.

Smirking, I rolled the traditional thought over in my head. _Let the games begin._

-Fol'driakus no Fang-


	8. Kiss of the Sugar Demon

BlueRyuu- smiles mysteriously Trussssst in meeeee, jussssst in meeeee...

Cookie to whoever can name that movie. Two cookies if you've already reviewed.

-Nek'ros loa din-

I sat in my seat and listened with half an ear as Nicole muttered incomprehensible phrases she read out of the rule book in her hands, the rest of my attention directed curiously at the swordswoman, Shasta, if I remembered the name Smiley had uttered earlier, as she explained the Legend of the Blind Gunfighter to whoever had been interested. She didn't know I was interested, but be honest; how many of you would like to hear what other people are saying about you straight from their mouths without them knowing?

Exactly.

"It all began about four years ago, on an island in the far edges of the East Blue." She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, her gray-blue ponytail swaying behind her before she continued. "Nobody knows its name anymore; it was destroyed a year ago in one of the battles of the Sea Devil Wars."

My ears perked up as a voice piped in. "The what?"

"The Sea Devil Wars are what the constant battles between the armies of the Sea Devils are called."

"Are weh tahkin' 'baowt t'eh sahme S'eh Dhevils th't made t'eh Dhevil Frhoots?"

She nodded at the woman. "Yes, they are three beings that constantly war with each other over territory on the edges of the world, with armies of superhumans, demons and humans with insanely high levels of skill in fighting. The Blind Gunfighter is said to have been one of the survivors of another island that had tried to hold off one of the armies, although it's just a rumor I heard a while back."

"Isn't this the same guy that one fellow in Roguetown was calling 'Gargoyle' as well? I heard the names a few weeks ago; some huge giant of a fellow was looking for this chap."

There was a moment of stillness, then the swordswoman spoke again, dread in her voice. "If that's true, then this man is almost the same as a demon. They say that Gargoyle is chief of the Warriors of Gorgon, one of the elite units in the Sea Devil Wars; he's said to be able to create hurricanes and destroy islands with just a swing of his ax, Yamakaze."

"If he's so tough, how come we've never heard of him before now?"

"It's because both the Blind Gunfighter and Gargoyle were only seen once each in action by the outside world; from those individual actions came their bounties."

"The Blind Gunfighter came to the island I spoke of before on a small raft, instantly making friends with the people there by his honesty. I cannot remember his name, but I remember the blindfold around his eyes very clearly, because I was stopping in there while on my way to a swordfighting competition on a nearby island."

"When I first met him, the Blind Gunfighter was working as a hotel janitor, cleaning up people's messes and giving a kind word and a smile to everyone. At the time, however, a gang of pirates were taking over the island and they demanded the hotel he worked in to give a monthly tribute equal to twice their monthly intake."

"The hotel manager refused and tried to hire mercenaries to help him, but none of us would risk our lives for the pittance he was offering. Imagine our surprise when the janitor stood up among us and laughed at us, calling us pathetic for not wanting to wager our lives on a little battle. He said the little battles are what make life interesting; he then proceeded to leave the hotel, running into the pirates just as they were coming in to destroy the hotel and kill everyone inside."

"Those of us who went outside were terrified by what we saw next; he threw off the slighty run-down suit he had been working in and stood wearing only a pair of pants and enough weaponry to flatten the entire island; twin pistols on his sides, shotgun and rifle strapped to his legs, ammunition everywhere. Before the pirates quite knew what happened, they found themselves short fifteen of their eighty-seven lives, a single bullet killing the group in an instant. Before anyone of us could move, he began moving, his actions beyond our ability to follow as he simply ripped them apart, bullets moving almost slower than he did as he caught whatever projectiles they managed to shoot and redirected them back at the pirates. When it was over, the pirates were all dead and he, and his raft, were gone." She paused, then continued in a hushed tone, "When we tried to find the pirates' base, all we found were sunken ships and burning bodies piled on top of the few structures they had actually built for themselves."

I smirked slightly; that had been a fun fight, although it had lasted a tad longer than she remembered; two of the pirates had actually had some skill. Not enough, though.

"Damn. He sounds like a demon, all right."

"But I still don't know who this Gargoyle is that he's supposed to be."

"That's because the only witnesses who survived the incident succumbed to their injuries soon after help arrived and only a handful of people heard their tale. We all brushed it off as the delusions of maniacs, but they all stuck quite stubbornly to their story."

"One night, on another island that was supposedly on the edges of the Sea Devil battlegrounds and three years before the other island, a tall, high-shouldered man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a battle ax as tall as he was with a head three times as wide as him came to this certain island asking for a loaf of bread and a glass of water. None of the inhabitants cared to help him, as the island was a suspicious one with a deep-bred hatred of the rest of the world born of being so close to the Sea Devil battlegrounds."

"When he had asked every last person on the island for what he wanted and had been turned down every single time, he strode down to the edge of the island and turned to face the villagers that had gathered to make sure he left. Reaching one hand back, he told them to prepare for death and then drew his ax. After that, no story was very clear on what happened; they all spoke of three things that all had seen, however. A hurricane sprang to life around the island, cutting all but a few from escape; his form seemed to change and his face, which had been hidden from view until then, revealed itself to be a misshapen, hideous stonecraft with a blocky jaw and fiendish eyes; and, when he had cut down most of the villagers, men, women and children, he moved to the center of the island, raised his ax, roared and then brought the weapon down, shattering the island into four pieces which then sank into the ocean, sucking in almost all of the survivors and battering the rest to the point that they died within days of reaching safety."

There was a silence, then a voice, the woman captain's voice, spoke up skeptically. "Still, I don't believe that this man is the same one; I mean, c'mon. The guy's fast, I'll grant him, and he's got some decent moves, but I doubt he's anything to worry about."

There were several approving mutters and dark glances thrown my way, then the swordswoman spoke up again.

"I don't know if he's the Gargoyle; that thing was probably killed in a battle somewhere far away. I _do_ know, though, that he's the Blind Gunfighter; as such, he's fully capable of killing us all without breaking a sweat. If he _is_ the Gargoyle, however... It'd be like finding the infamous Rekondo and discovering that it was also the same weapon that destroyed Deli. The end of the world would be nigh."

I almost laughed at that. Almost. She didn't know how close to the mark she had hit; the world had, indeed, almost ended. Ironic, though; it was only because of _me_ that it was still around. I took great satisfaction in that.

"The first round of the competition will now begin!" The voice came from the ceiling and almost caused me to jump out of my seat with all weapons engaged, then it continued calmly, "Black Wolf Pirates, Nezzer Pirates, please enter the stadium."

Two doors shot open on opposite sides of the room and the two teams exited, jeering and making catcalls at each other as they left. The instant they did, Nicole leaned forward and placed the book down.

"All wight, guys, hewe's a wundown of the game." Turning my attention fully on her, I joined the rest of the crew in leaning in toward her as she continued speaking, all other matters relegated to the background. "Fiwst wuwe; the winning cwew of the most battwes gets fiwst pick of fouw ships, with the second-best getting next pick and so on." She ticked off one finger of one hand. "Second wuwe; the battwes awe decided by stwaight-out fighting, no unusuaw stadiums, nothing. The stwongest team wins, that's it."

Aliza cracked her knuckles and grinned brightly. "Then we win automatically! I think I'll name my new ship _Death Doom_!"

Nicole giggled as Reza and I chuckled, then she continued, ticking off another finger. "Thiwd wuwe, only thwee membews of any team may pawticipate in a battwe unwess a Bwitz is cawwed, in which case both teams wush the fiewd and the wast one standing is the winnew. Onwy one Bwitz may be cawwed pew team, though. Keeps stwong teams-"

"Like ours!" Aliza piped in.

"-fwom sweeping the game." She ticked off another finger. "And wast but not weast, if, at any time, all thwee membews of the fighting ewement awe defeated, then that team woses."

I frowned. "What about the fourth member?"

"He is a wesewve. If one of the team is wosing badwy, the team weadew-"

"Me! That's me!" Aliza waved her hand happily.

"-may switch that membew out with the wesewve membew of the team, the two switching positions in the team."

Reza cackled and spread his wings. "Au! So be it! Arau!"

I smirked. "Just a little like old times, eh, Reza?"

His dark eyes flashed and he smiled wickedly, his beak glimmering and what might have been fangs rippling across the inside. "Battle and war, triumph and pain, the darkness consumes never again! Au!"

Nicole gave him a weird look, then raised her hand and rubbed the back of her head embarrassedly. "So, with onwy thwee fightews, no one is awwowed to wose on this team ow we aww faiw."

I raised an eyebrow. "But there are four of us."

"But I can't fight!" She waved her hands around in panic. "I wouwd wose!"

Aliza smiled. "Not if Licky helped!"

Nicole shook her head. "I haven't been abwe to bwing hew out unwess I am cwying; she doesn't wisten to me. I don't think she knows I know she's thewe, ow she doesn't want to admit it."

I smirked and leaned back in my seat, interlacing my fingers behind my head and resting my head on them. "So, got any idea when we can get this fight started?"

"Since we awe the wast to sign up, we wiww fight the second-to-wast team to sign up." She shrugged. "It wiww be a wittwe bit, but the time between fights wiww gwow smawwew evewy wound because it's a touwnament."

I looked around the room, my vision delving into the different groups before I brought one hand out and pointed it at a group of pirates that were sharpening their swords calmly. "Them. We're fighting them."

Aliza looked curiously over at them. "How d'ya know, Argy?"

"Au!" Reza puffed up his feathers before letting them fall back down again. "He is strange that way, Captain, arau!"

Replacing my hand behind my head, I closed my eyes and began to doze off. "Wake me when it's our turn, Captain. I don't want to miss this."

"Righto, Argy!" As I slowly drifted away, I could hear her chattering excitedly about her new ship, _Death Doom_.

-Via col rens'aar-

I woke up to talons digging into my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I tightened the muscles of that shoulder to let Reza know I was awake.

"Au! Fight's on, Boss!"

I looked around and saw Nicole and Aliza looking at me, the former a little worriedly and the latter impatiently, and also spotted the crew I had pointed out before exiting through the far door, their faces expressionless.

"Right."

Standing up, settling my hat down over my face as my coat billowed around me, I followed Aliza as she bounced out of the room. We moved through a narrow hall that wound its way around the mountain until it emerged in a massive open-topped coliseum carved out of the mountain's peak; we found ourselves on the side opposite our opponents, who were also standing in their respective hall.

"And now for the final match of Round One!" The announcer was female and loud, sounding like she was inhumanly excited over the previous matches. "Last year's second-place finishing team, the Scarlet Eyes, will be facing off against the dark horse of this year's tournament, the Pirates of Doom!" There was a loud round of cheering as our opponents calmly took their places, then boos and jeers filled the air as we took our own places on the bench at our end. Aliza almost attacked the crowd at that point, but I hooked a finger behind her collar and sat her down, smirking as she glared at me.

"Save it for them." I nodded toward our opponents and she nodded, then stood up and took a deep breath.

"I'M GONNA KICK ALL O' YOUR BUTTS AND GET THAT SHIP!"

The entire stadium started laughing, then the announcer came back on.

"And now they will take their places!"

A referee in a white-and-black striped shirt stepped forward and yelled, "Will the first two combatants please come forward!"

Aliza hopped off the bench and stormed forward, while her iron-faced opponent strode up and stopped facing her. The referee looked at the both of them and I concentrated on reading his lips to figure out what he was saying.

"You begin in three seconds!"

As he started counting down, Aliza said something to her opponent and a smirk crossed his face. "You are too weak, little girl. That ship is mine."

Fortunately for us, the referee finished counting down, because Aliza snapped and, leaping up, slammed her small fist into the man's chin, staggering him back a half-stride. That wasn't enough compensation, however, because she followed it immediately by dramatically pointing both fingers at the man.

"SWEET-SWEET WARHEADS!"

Dozens of hard candy spheres burst into existence and hovered around her, the entire stadium silent in shock before they shot forward and slammed into the man, who was staring openmouthed at her. He flew back and into, then through, the wall on the far side, the candies pummeling him beyond the stone walls of the stadium before Aliza's wrath was assuaged and she stopped, her shoulders heaving from her rage as she screamed a defiant cry.

"I AM ALIZA ALICIA ALIMONIUM AND I'M GONNA BE THE GREATEST PIRATE EVER WITH THE BIGGEST TREASURE IN THE WORLD!"

Reza spread his wings and screamed a war cry, while Nicole jumped up and cheered. I just smiled quietly to myself as I stood up and called to the opposing team, "Next time you fight a little girl, send your best fighter instead of him, okay?"

Their impassive faces looked a little shaken, but the next man stepped forward, drawing a pair of swords out; the announcer began getting excited, her words completely ignored by those of us on the ground. The referee dropped his hand and the opponent shot forward, his sword slicing through the air toward my captain, who could barely dodge the first strike. She managed to avoid the next few slashes, then one of the blades cut into her side and she cried out; her opponent backed away and brought the sword that had cut her up to his mouth, licking the blood on the blade and smiling wickedly.

"My swords grow impatient for blood." His eyes snapped open wide in a ferocious gaze as he leaped forward. "Now DIE!"

Aliza grunted and snapped her hands out in front of her. "SWEET-SWEET CANDY COATING!"

Her entire body rippled, then the swords bit into sugar, the hard candy coating causing the blades to bounce off before Aliza brought her right hand back behind her head.

"SWEET-SWEET MACE!"

A massive sucker appeared, candy spikes littering the ball; with a scream, she brought the mace down on the man, who could barely block it in time. Grunting, he spared a glance back at the men behind him, one of whom nodded somberly.

"BLITZ!"

The other two drew swords and leaped forward and, as the announcer began crowing over this latest turn of events, I almost leaped from my seat, praying Aliza would Blitz as well. She had already been having a hard time with one opponent; having more would mean defeat for her.

Instead of returning the Blitz, however, my captain laughed mockingly. "CAN'T BEAT A LITTLE GIRL, CAN'T BEAT A LITTLE GIRL!"

Leaping back, she performed a one-handed cartwheel as she spun the mace around her body. "SWEET-SWEET CHAIN BALL!"

A line of double-headed candy canes emerged, snapping together to form a chain that connected the sucker's handle with the head. The head smashed into her opponent's blades, sending him skidding back as she swung her other hand back over her head and landed on her feet.

"ULTIMATE SKILL! SWEET-SWEET CANDYLAND!"

The ground rippled, then I felt my eyes widen slightly behind my blindfold; beside me, Nicole gasped and Reza cawed in amazement as the world around us burst into a thousand new and vibrant colors. Candy canes the size of trees erupted from the earth, blossoming with smaller candies and surrounded by gumdrop mushrooms. A river of chocolate burst from one of the walls, while the gummy grass shimmered and danced as our captain attacked her opponents.

I was impressed by her fighting skill; she had far more ability then her age would have suggested. Her first strike was impressive by itself. Dropping her sucker, she raised both fists and then snapped them open, causing two of the nearby candy canes to burst into splinters which then blazed toward the incoming men. They had skill as well, as evinced by the fact that they managed to avoid the storm of needles moving toward them, but then Aliza brought her hands together and clapped, sending a ripple through the grass before the river of chocolate burst from its banks and slammed into the trio, driving them into the ground from the sheer ferocity of her attack.

Aliza raised both hands up, spinning them together as the swordsmen got up. "And now... SWEET-SWEET DESTRUCTION!"

One of the swordsmen, who bore three swords in his two hands, flung one of them at her just before the world around them rippled, then exploded. Hard candies pummeled and impaled them; gummy candies choked them and curled around them; chewy candies blasted them and skinned them; soft candies drowned them and ingested them. The sheer force of the attack nearly sucked Nicole in; I had to step in front of her and reflect the energies back into the maelstrom to keep her from flying in, Reza creating a barrier around us as we watched the scene worriedly, keeping an eye out for our captain.

When the storm subsided, we found her; Nicole gasped in fright and Reza flapped his wings in shock; even I ground my teeth. Her little body was still standing, partially from sheer force of will and partially because the sword that the final swordsman had thrown had impaled her through the stomach and was holding her up. Her eyes were hidden behind her blood-spattered candy-cane hair, and she was panting horribly. But when her head came up, there was only defiance in them.

"I AM ALIZA ALICIA ALAMONIUM! I AM THE GREATEST PIRATE EVER!"

As the crowd found its voice and began cheering, she began to collapse; as she fell, she dropped into m arms, my coat billowing around us as I caught her. The referee, who had just made the ruling that she was the winner after checking the lifeless bodies of the other pirates, attempted to say something, but I simply looked up at him from beneath the brim of my hat and his words died in his throat. Flashing back to where the other two were, I pulled the sword out, causing our captain to scream in pain before she fainted from the toll taken on her body.

Reza settled to the earth by her head. "Au! Will she live, Boss?"

I smirked as I inspected her body. "She's a tough kid; the sword missed the vital areas, but she's losing blood."

"Wight, move ovew." I looked up to see Nicole kneeling down on Aliza's other side, a first aid kit in her hand as she checked our captain. "I don't know if I can fix the internal injuries, but I can at least stop the bleeding." Opening the kit, which I finally realized had come from the line of the box-shaped things on the back wall behind us, she pulled out a roll of bandages and began working on Aliza with a sureness that surprised me a little. Reza and I exchanged a look, then I stood up and folded my arms.

"Uh, excuse me..."

I turned to see the referee looking at us a little nervously. "Um, we need to get the next round going..."

A brief frown from me and he skittered away, then I sighed and looked down at the girl on the ground before reaching up and moving the blindfold down, letting my naked eyes gaze on Aliza.

"Nicole, we are moving her."

She looked up at me, a protest on her face that died the instant she saw the lights that were my eyes. Silently standing, she gasped as Aliza silently lifted into the air, not budging an inch in her position as I moved her back down the halls into the room.

The wild partying that had been going on died as Aliza drifted into the room, Nicole having taken advantage of our captain being in the air to wrap some of the bandages around her little body as Reza stalked in at our feet, flapping his wings and glaring at anyone too close to us, clearing a path for us as I drifted back to our corner, my coat billowing with every step as I moved her over to the corner and gently set her down after cleansing the area. Once satisfied that she was safely in place, I replaced the blindfold over my eyes and, turning to face the room, I moved one of the chairs so I could sit facing the rest and placed my butt on it.

The silence in the room was deafening; then the captain of the swordswoman's crew walked over to us, a dark look on her face.

"Congratulations on making it through the first battle." She cocked her head at the girl behind me. "She was a pretty good scrapper. Too bad she's-"

"If she dies," I interrupted her softly, "we will deal with it as it comes. But she's not going to die." I raised my head to bring my blindfolded gaze into view, a smile crossing my face briefly. "This is mere fact, my dear."

She shrugged and turned away. "Whatever. I just wanted to tell you that your opponents in round two are the Dead Bones. They were first-place finishers last year, beaten only by Don Krieg and his team."

I smiled softly. "I do not care who it is that we face. They will be defeated and my captain will have her ship."

She turned her head back to eye me. "What is it about her? Shasta's been telling us that you're some hotshot warrior that can destroy an entire crew in the blink of an eye. Why're you _her_ crewmate and not the captain?"

I shrugged slightly. "I volunteered to be a part of her crew. That's all it is." Still smiling softly, I added a little bit of a snake to my voice. "I am her first mate and that is all that must be said, no?"

She sighed and turned back away, the entire room silent at this point. "You know how much a crew formed entirely out of Devil Fruit users could do?"

The change of topic didn't phase me; I knew exactly where she was going already. Predictable pirates bore me; still, I wanted to see how far she would go. "The East Blue would be easy prey."

She barked a laugh. "Ha! The East Blue? You think too small." She turned to me and smiled wickedly. "Join me, gunfighter, and you'll be a part of my crew's conquering of the Grand Line and have your own piece of the One Piece!"


	9. The Shadows Fall Nevermore

As we prepared for the next battle, I was still chuckling to myself at the ridiculous question. It had been worse for the seventeen minutes immediately following her question; I had been laughing hard enough to rock the room. It had taken Nicole asking me fearfully to calm down or Aliza would be hurt for me to contain my hilarious state; by that time, the other captain had already sulked off, her fists clenched in fury. I didn't care a whole lot; she should have known by my earlier actions that I was a fickle person; _I_ chose _my_ captain, not the other way around. And I had chosen Aliza Alicia Alamonium, for better or for worse, to be _my_ captain.

Anybody but her wasn't worth the attention.

Round two did, indeed, go far quicker than round one had; Nicole barely finished bandaging Aliza before our time was up again. As I gently picked Aliza's sleeping form in my arms and carried her toward the hall, I spotted our opponents moving toward their own door. One huge man with a ferocious glint in his eyes that reminded me of something; one tall, slender woman with snakes coiled around her arms and neck; one short, stubby man with a massive war hammer; one short, petite woman with pistols slung from every part of her body.

Then Reza screamed furiously and shot toward the big man, a wicked, demonic aura rippling out from him as he charged the man. I grimaced and flashed in front of him, cradling Aliza in one arm as I brought my other hand up and blocked his charge. The impact sent a shockwave out that caused pieces of the ceiling to begin crumbling, the shaking of the room continuing as Reza continued to try and grind through whatever it was that he had hit, fury blinding him.

Gritting my teeth, I inhaled deeply. "DIAN SHEIZ KRA'UG, REZA!"

His spinning slowed abruptly and then stopped as he snapped his wings out, flapping them furiously as he hovered in place, glaring furiously at the big man, who had turned and was watching us amusedly. I turned to regard him as well, my gaze suspicious.

"Who is he, Reza?"

The raven spat. "Arau! He's-au!- da one what-au!- busted m'pops, arau!"

I felt my eyes widen, then they narrowed dangerously as the big man began laughing, a booming sound.

"Wahaha! So _you're_ the last of that pathetic clan?! Wahaha!" Vorlak the Destroyer, I remembered was his name, flexed one massive arm and smirked. "I'll take your wings and tear them off!"

Turning away from him, I held the arm that had stopped Reza out and snapped my fingers. "Reza, dar'kezh nug vard."

He snorted and flapped over onto my arm, slowly calming himself down as we moved up the hall until it was only a simmering fury that I sensed from him. Nicole and I exchanged glances, she worried and me grim, then we emerged into the sunlight and the announcer's voice.

"And here's our contenders now! The Dead Bones, last year's first-place finishers, are going up against our surprise fighters, the Pirates of Doom! Will the newcomers' luck hold? Or will the Dead Bones be their doom?"

The big man across the field started forward, a bloodthirsty grin on his face, and I reluctantly held my arm up, my other arm gently laying Aliza on the bench before I straightened up.

"Reza, dei vork'ezh!"

With the traditional wish for good luck in a battle, I hefted him into the air and he disappeared, reappearing on the ground in front of the big man; his wings spread wide, my partner bounced from foot to foot, his aura turning dark again as the referee began the countdown. The big man looked down at him and smirked.

"I'm gonna barbecue ya, chicken-liver!"

As the referee finished his countdown, Reza spread his wings and shot into the air, causing the crowd to gasp at his speed; once there, he began circling, a wicked chant echoing through the arena.

"First to bleed his opponents in war, last to flee the rotten core! Dark as night and cold as ice, the phantom of death strikes not twice! Blood on the ground, rot in the air, black as the shadow of the dead man's cares!" Raising his beak, he screamed the final line with the fury of his dead clan, murdered in a land forgotten by all but a few. "BLACKEST WINGS AND DARKEST LORE! THE WARRIORS FLEE MY WRATH, _NEVERMORE_!"

With that, he spread his wings and shot toward the big man, plowing straight through his opponent's body and blasting beyond. The big man did not even stagger, however; as I focused my vision on him, I noticed he didn't bleed, either. My eyes narrowed as I also noticed other small things about the man; no pulse, no breathing. Small pieces of skin rotted off, leaving behind a view of dusty bones.

"Reza! Di kruzh'g dermok!"

The bird flipped around and smiled wickedly. "Au! So, yer dead already, bub? Arau! Makes dis here punkdown-au!- dat much easier, arau!"

With that, he spread his wings and screamed, "CAW-CAW BLITZ!"

Forms began materializing behind him; shadows of the original that followed him as he charged the big man and they all tore into him with a vengeance. The big man didn't even twitch, however; instead, he snapped his hand back and grabbed Reza, squeezing tightly as he turned to look at my partner with one eye.

"Your father was stronger than this, featherbrain."

With that, he brought his hand up over his head before slamming my buddy into the ground hard enough for feathers and blood to fly.

"REEEEZZZZAAAAA!" Visions of our life together floated through my head, of when he had chosen me in my land's traditional forming of war teams to defend against the Gorgon Queen, of how we had fought all those long years in search of direction, a purpose for our skills, of how we had finally found it, only to have the purpose no longer applicable afterward. How we had decided to embark on a different sort of journey, he seeking shinies and me looking for peace.

And how I watched his pulse disappear, his body become crushed.

"Little birdy, yer just like your family." The man smirked, flexing his biceps. "Your powers only work on the living, not the dead. Shadows hold nothing that can hurt me."

Even as I watched the big man get up and turn away, a wicked grin on his face, I also watched as Reza's form began gathering shadows, shadows that seemed to resemble winged forms. As the big man stopped and began turning, a suspicious frown on his face, my buddy's body rose from the ground and a thousand voices filled the air.

"DAL KREG DEL MORT NA SHEZ RU'UTH VAR KEZH NE SAI..."

I felt my eyes widen, then I spun and, grabbing Nicole, brought both girls under the cover of my coat, yelling for them to get down as I turned my head to watch the final strike of Reza's long-dead clan.

"... DEL VUZHK NJEL DES KRAUG VAR NOKT DI'EN MORVAZH KRAUG!"

As the chant finished, Reza's dead eyes began glowing and he opened his beak wide.

"CAW-CAW ULTIMATE ATTACK! FEATHER DANCE!"

His body erupted, splitting into six shadowy forms that shot into a circle around the big man, then began_ growing_. I felt my eyes widen as I witnessed his clan's ultimate attack, one that usually required six different birds but, due to the power of the Caw-Caw Fruit he had eaten, only needed him that day.

As the shadows hit the ground, they rippled there for a second, then began writhing and growing, quickly becoming massive, ravens with closed eyes and folded wings, standing erect and tall. The array was imposing enough, causing even the big man to back away. I smirked as I remembered that he had slaughtered most of the raven clan in their sleep; he must have heard of the power of the ravens that guarded the island of Nevermore.

Then the eyes snapped open, revealing orbs that burned with a demonic light. The ravens all spread their wings wide, then their beaks opened and they began speaking a single word.

"_Nevermore._"

They kept repeating the same word over and over, each repetition causing their shadowy bodies to grow larger and larger and closer and closer together, cutting off all chance of escape for the big man, who was beginning to shout frantically behind the wall of wrathful ravens. Beyond them, the leader of the opposing team screamed for a Blitz and they shot toward the circle of shadows.

The two ravens closest to them seemed to ripple, then they split in two, another raven emerging from each of them and facing the oncoming trio, who didn't slow as they prepared to attack. Before they could, however, the two ravens opened their beaks.

"_Nevermore_!"

Shadows erupted from the ground, catching their feet and wrapping around their arms, preventing them from attempting anything further as they became helpless to aid their comrade. The man in question was no longer visible and his cries were becoming weaker and weaker, as if he was moving farther and farther away; then, with a sudden surge, they imploded, taking the man with them and leaving behind only Reza's dead body.

Nicole cried out and dashed forward, running to the raven and picking him up in her arms, tears dropping down her face; I felt surprise trickle through me. I hadn't known that she was close enough to him for her to be so hurt by his death.

Beside me, Aliza stirred and I looked down to see her gazing somberly at the scene. Looking up, she revealed her eyes to be trickling tears.

"First Mate Rezzy's dead, ain't he, Argy?"

I nodded and reached down, picking her up with one arm as I turned to begin moving toward Nicole. As I did so, however, I felt my eyes widen in horror; the Dead Bones, released from the shadows once the ravens had imploded, were bent on taking out their rage on anyone in the area. The only one in the area, by the way, happened to be Nicole.

Aliza noticed it, too, as the gun-laden woman raised one of her pistols and aimed it at our other crewmate. "BLITZ!"

Nicole didn't even twitch as I flashed beyond her, catching the bullet that had been intended for her with Ras'cal and sending it skyward. Before I could do anything else, however, I heard a wrathful howl from behind me. Turning my head, I felt my eyes widen as what could only be Licone stood over Reza's body, her hands hooked into claws as a sense of death began permeating the air. As she raised her head, I lowered my pistol.

"What do you want of me?"

"Move," she growled as she stalked toward me; I obliged and watched as she stalked toward the others, who smirked arrogantly at her. I, on the other hand, backed away a few steps and sat down, sitting Aliza up in my lap as we both watched the pending fight.

"Whatcha gonna do, girly?" The man who had called out the Blitz, making him the captain, smirked as he swung his war hammer over his head. "Ya can't kill us; we're already dead! Ya can't hurt us, we ain't got feelin's! Whatcha gonna-hurk!"

Licone moved, her feet flashing almost fast enough to make my head snap as I followed her movements. One kick tore the man's head off, another separated his torso from his legs, then a fast series of kicks tore his legs and arms apart and flung them away. Spinning around into one more kick, Licone uttered one wrathful scream.

"STOMP-STOMP SCYTHE!"

Energy billowed to life behind her leg as she slammed it around and into the short man's chest, the impact blowing him to smithereens and his compatriots back, the tall woman's snakes recoiling in wariness as the other woman braced herself with the empty pistol she had shot earlier. As the dust settled to reveal Licone standing on one leg, her other leg cocked back for another kick, she glared at the settling dust of the captain.

"Dead nothin'; _now_ you're dead, scuzzwad." As she turned to face the snake-woman, that woman settled into a fighting stance. "YA FREAKS MADE HER CRY!"

With that, she snapped her leg around, spinning herself into a series of leaps that landed her all over the place, causing the woman to look around frantically. Even as she shot one of her arms back, sending that snake, jaws open wide and fangs dripping venom, Licone appeared in front of her, standing on her hands.

"STOMP-STOMP WINDMILL!"

The woman screamed as her body disappeared in a hurricane of feet. Even as that happened, however, the pistol woman raised her weapons toward Licone and smirked triumphantly.

"Eat this, sucke-AUGH!"

Her shout turned into a death scream as my bullet pierced the only living part of her, the heart, shielding in her skull; as she fell, I spun Ras'cal around my finger and then holstered it.

"That's the way the skelly crumbles."

As the dust settled, the announcer broke into a cheer and so did the crowd; I simply got up and moved over to where Reza's corpse lay, darkness in my heart as Aliza slid to the ground and gently touched his feathers.

"Bye-bye, Rezzy. See ya later."

I smiled despite myself. Yes, we would meet again; all who did battle to the death met in the same place afterward. Gently sinking to one knee, I placed my left hand over Reza's body and closed my eyes.

"Dul'var no moz'xal."

His body flashed beneath my hand, then power surged into my left arm; clenching my teeth against the pain, I absorbed the power his people and mine had always exchanged on death, to keep a piece of ourselves close to our partner's hearts. My sleeve melted away to reveal a long, dark wreath of shadows being tattooed on my arm, with the head of a raven forming at my shoulder before the surge ended and I moved my hand, only three small feathers left of my friend. Sighing, I straightened up, feeling the sleeve of the coat, made out of a sea dragon's scales, reforming on my arm.

"Let's go, Captain, Licone."

Aliza sighed and got to her feet, smiling up at me. I felt a little uneasy about her ability to handle the disappearance of Reza, then Licone moved up on my other side, a darkness hanging about her.

"Nicole's gone for now. I think I need to kill somebody."

We walked back down the hallway, me once again carrying Aliza to keep her from reopening her wounds. As we entered the room again, which was becoming conspicuously empty, I noticed a lot of analytical glances being sent our way; ignoring them, I moved back to our corner and settled down again, feeling the absence of Reza like nothing else in my life. As we settled in, the woman captain appeared in front of us, a medium-height, muscular man standing next to her. Her eyes looked us over.

"You look pretty chewed-up, Pirates of Doom. Think you'll be able to go the distance?"

Aliza sat up straight in my lap, fire in her voice. "We're the Pirates of Doom! We _always_ go the distance!"

She smirked. "Sure." Looking at me, she shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Just thought I'd congratulate you on your win."

I smiled thinly. "Don't worry; I will defeat your crew by myself." Ignoring the tightening of her face, I turned my gaze on the man beside her. "I presume you are the captain of our next opponents?"

He nodded smoothly, a sneer on his face as he looked over my shoulder at where Licone smouldered silently. "Just wanted to tell the hot chick in th' corner she's welcome at my place anytime."

Grunting, I held a hand up just in time to catch her ankle as Licone sailed out of her seat and shot foot-first toward the man, who just stood there, a broad grin on his face.

"LET GO OF ME! I'M GONNA KILL THE BASTARD!"

Twisting my wrist, I snapped her around and released her ankle, dropping her into a crouch in front of me. "Save it for when it does the crew some good."

The man reached a hand down as she attempted to sputter out an answer; he froze, however, when the barrel of my rifle tapped his chin. Looking up, his face paled slightly as he saw my expression underneath the brim of my hat.

"Listen very, _very_ carefully, krezatsch. I have just lost a buddy that's been with me for a long time. My captain is a little banged up, another crewmate of mine is so emotionally disturbed that her protector was forced to come in for her." Letting a little of the darkness I was feeling trickle into my voice, I concluded, "I'm feeling too murderous today for a pervert to begin making advances on my crew."

He straightened back up and the two of them silently retreated, a little more fear in their expressions than had been there before. As they left, Licone slowly straightened up and stared after them before turning to me.

"I shoulda killed him. He tried to touch Nicole's body like, like _that_." One fist began shaking, then I replaced my rifle on my back and gave a cool little smile.

"Trust me. They all get what's coming to them; if not me, somebody else will." I left it at that, watching as Licone picked up on the hidden hint in my words and returned to her seat behind me, brushing past me without another word.

Aliza looked up at me, her eyelids low. "I'm sleepy, Argy. You wake me up when we fight?"

I nodded. "Sure, Captain."

She nodded sleepily and nestled against my chest. "'Kay, g'night."

As her breathing became rhythmic and I felt her fall asleep, I smiled slightly and drew Ras'cal, resting him on my knee as I waited for the next fight to start.


	10. Lead Hurricane

BlueRyuu- No, no cookies. But I bet you know the movie. It's about a boy who runs around in his underwear with a guy who lives with the Bear Necessities and a guy who says he Wanna Be Like You. XD

And yes, Captain Al is STRONG. Be kinda pointless if she wasn't, no? And besides, the power of candy is unknown, no? Makes for a powerful thought-inducer.

Reza was the bomb. I was gonna make him do cool things later, but... His father's killer came into play and the guy sorta lost focus... Sucks to be me... Now I gotta find somebody else... And Argyle prolly ain't doin' too well, neither.

Anyways, here's anudder chap.

-Levanaun rot'zh keluz't-

I looked up at the man in front of me from under my hat brim, Ras'cal resting prominently on my leg as I gazed at the group that had approached us once our names were called for the next match. "So you're our next victims?"

The man chuckled, as did his crew behind him; all four looked tough, but I couldn't see any weapons on them. Always a bad sign.

"Well, you're a cocky kid. I like ya; let's be friends!"

The captain's words didn't move me in any direction at all, happy or mad. "Let's not and say we did."

He shrugged and looked behind me, his eyes lighting up. "Howsabout you, little girl? Let's be friends, _close_ friends, if ya catch my drift..."

"STOMP-STOMP-" I sighed and, careful not to disturb Aliza, reached a hand up, catching Licone's foot as she sailed over my shoulder before I spun her around onto her other foot. She glared at me, but I ignored her and tapped Ras'cal on my knee.

"You four had better leave. It would be bad if our next fight was cancelled due to no-shows."

He smiled as he turned away, winking once at Licone before they moved toward the far door. Grimacing, I looked down at the girl sleeping in my lap and sighed.

"Captain, captain, it's time to get up."

She grunted and looked up at me sleepily, a bright smile blossoming across her face. "Hiya, Argy! We fightin' now?"

I nodded as I stood up, still cradling her in one arm as I holstered Ras'cal. "It is time to do what we came here for."

She grinned and settled in closer to me. "You're comfy, Argy. I'm stayin' here."

Shrugging, I moved up our hall, a still-steaming Licone trailing along behind me. "Sure thing, Captain."

As we emerged into the sunlight, the crowd went wild as the announcer squealed. "And here they come! This year's new tournament favorites, who've already lost one crew member to battle here and have their captain in bandages but who_ still_ haven't actually used the tall, blindfolded gunman in battle! Even the little girl behind him has fought, but this mystery warrior has only fired a couple shots this whole tournament! But will it change this battle? Because _this_ battle, they're going up against the _other_ newcomers, who are so far undefeated in even _one_ match! Will this be the end for the Pirates of Doom? We're about to find out!"

Across the way, the captain of the other crew threw a kiss toward Licone, who moved up besides me and eyed him coldly. "He's my kill; you can have the rest if you want."

I shrugged. "You might have to get the others before you get him, but sure, why not."

With that, she moved toward the center of the field and I sat down on the bench, Aliza grunting from my lap.

"Why's Licky so mad at them?"

I smiled thinly. "Their leader was insulting her."

"Ohhhh." She nodded sagely. "Bad idea."

Nodding as the referee began counting down, I was surprised to see that Licone's first opponent, a thin, wiry old man, didn't offer any pre-combat insults; instead, the instant the countdown was complete, he moved, flashing to Licone's side and swinging one arm up and over his head, turning it into a mace as he did so. Licone grunted and swung one leg up, knocking the mace aside and blowing out her left boot from the impact before spinning and jump-kicking him in the chest.

The man staggered back, a slight ripple of surprise crossing his face before the deadly calm returned. Unlike the Dead Bones, however, his calm was that of a seasoned fighter; I winced as I realized that Licone was pitting sheer will and power, not to mention a raging bloodthirst, against skill and experience.

Despite that, however, she managed to avoid most of his attacks, smashing aside those that managed to come close with her feet as she wildly attempted to land a kick on her opponent, who was avoiding her attacks as deftly and with less movement necessary than her. I smirked as I realized what he was doing.

"She's wearing out, Argy." Aliza's voice was worried as I nodded.

"Her opponent's good. It looks like he's a Devil-Fruit user, too, so that's not gonna help matters."

Then the man made his move; his right hand, the mace, slammed into the ground beneath Licone's feet after he apparently missed her, then his left hand lanced out as she dodged to the side, catching her by the shirt. A smile crept across his wizened face before he spun around and flung her across the arena, smashing her into the wall. A cloud of debris erupted from the impact point, then it settled to reveal her standing, albeit panting and banged up pretty bad, in front of a crater, fury in her eyes.

"Dammit, now you made me _mad_!"

With that, she leaped up, planting her feet against the wall before screaming, "STOMP-STOMP ROCKET!" and kicking off against the crater, moving so fast I could barely keep up with her before she slammed feet-first into the old man, having spun around in mid-air as she flew. They flew clear across the arena, creating an even larger crater and cloud of debris before they emerged, the two of them now going at it hammer-and-tongs. The old man was clearly the better of the two, but he was also the more damaged and the oldest of the two.

His next mistake was his last; bringing both hands together, both having turned into maces, he tried to slam Licone in between them, which would definitely have shattered her ribs and killed her on the spot if she hadn't leaped up. As she came back down, she brought one leg up so it pointed straight toward the sun overhead, screaming as she came down, "STOMP-STOMP ANVIL!"

She whipped her leg down as she landed, the sheer power of the ax kick cracking the arena's already-battered surface and forming a huge crater that was slowly revealed as the debris cloud settled. Licone walked calmly out of the hole, her fists clenched together as she stared across the arena, her breathing heavy and ragged, at the captain of the other crew. The man grinned, then stepped into the combat line.

"Hiya, girly! Decided to finally be my friend, huh?"

With a hoarse cry, she took off toward him, her feet pounding the turf as she shot toward him. He smiled as she came close, then he sidestepped her charge and clotheslined her, sending her into the ground with an ugly 'boom' accompanying it. I winced as Aliza almost jumped out of my lap, screaming Licone's name. As the dust settled to reveal Licone's limp form and the sight of the captain smiling mockingly down at her, I felt the distinct taste of rage creeping into my blood.

Then the man's face went stiff, Licone's foot planted solidly in his groin area. He doubled over in pain, then she slowly got to her feet, spitting out a blob of blood as she brought her right foot back.

"EAT _THIS_, FRANKENSTEIN!" With that, she slammed her foot into him, sending him into the wall hard enough that, after a second, I could see light on the far side, meaning he had been knocked clean out of the arena. Across from me, I could see the two remaining members of the crew murmuring to each other and focused.

"How did she beat him?!"

"He's the greatest hand-to-hand combat master in the world, but even he has his weaknesses."

"Oh, great. Perverted thoughts of girls brought down the greatest fighter in the world. How're we gonna explain this to the bosses?"

I smirked, then Licone simply collapsed and I flashed to her side, Aliza in one arm as I gently picked up the limp body and flashed back to our bench. Aliza dropped out of my arms and was about to march out to face our next opponent, a long-haired man who was weaving strangely, but I hooked one finger in her collar as I straightened up.

"Captain, I believe it is almost my turn to fight, no? You watch Licone and make sure she doesn't get hurt by any more debris."

She looked up at me, her initial back-talk dying down as she saw my face. Nodding with a pouting expression, she moved back and sat down next to Licone, who was breathing, but had an ugly bump on the noggin that I couldn't help but worry about. We needed to finish the rest of the fights _quickly_ so I could deal with her.

Turning to face the man, I began walking toward him, ignoring the crowd as they began roaring. Pulling Lac'sar from its holster, I checked the chamber to ensure I had a bullet there before slapping it back together and spinning the revolver once, cocking the hammer as the referee dropped his hand.

The other man began weaving back and forth, a smug look on his face. "I am the world's greatest master of misdirection! One second you'll see me, the next-" He flashed to the side, my eyes following him unnoticed behind my blindfold. "The next I'm gone! Bet you won't even land a single-"

_Crack!_

I looked over my barrel at his body and that of his buddy's behind him dropping to the ground, then I brought Lac'sar back and rested it on my shoulder.

"I believe that we are now down to the final match! Will my opponents please come forward so we can get this over with quickly?"

As the announcer squealed, the crowd began chanting_ doom, doom, doom_ over and over again. My eyes didn't leave the far tunnel until our opponents arrived.

First through was the Shasta girl, her four swords sheathed on her back like some sort of insect and her eyes wary as she looked me over uncomfortably. Next through was the big man, a bandage on the side of his head as he held his mace in one hand and a sandwich in the other, a broad smirk on his face. Then came the boy, spinning four knives through his fingers at the same time as he eyed me carnivorously; the final one out was the captain, her face split by a wide smirk.

"So y'all made it here! Good fer ya!" She cracked her knuckles and smiled wickedly. "Too bad you're that last one standing, kid; you look like you'd be a good addition to my crew any other time, but now ya'll hafta die."

As Shasta came forward and stood facing me, the referee came forward and began counting down. Looking at my opponent, I was surprised to find sadness in them, a tear creeping down her face.

"Why are you crying? You're about to do battle with what will soon be a legend."

"I'm crying because I'm about to die without achieving my dream." She reached back and drew her swords as the referee finished counting down and backed away hurriedly. "I wanted to be the greatest swordswoman in the world, but I will never reach it now."

"BLITZ!" The other woman's cry was loud and reverberating as the entire crew charged me, but I ignored it as Shasta silently and sadly brought her two swords down and snapped them into the hilts of the other two, drawing them as well to reveal two double-bladed swords. Setting herself, she screamed and leaped.

The entire group struck where I was standing, their attacks all coming within a half-inch of me before I hopped. The dust cloud they created with their attacks was huge, but I waited until it settled to reveal them staring at the crater where I had been with satisfaction and surprise.

"Wow," the captain muttered, her eyebrow up. "I didn't think he'd be _that_ easy."

I smiled. "No, no, no, that wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

Their gazes, shocked and fearful, snapped upward to where I was standing on air, my expression blank. "What?!"

"Your tactics are as predictable as your movements. I see everything you do before you do it and I ain't even got your vision." Smiling as I drew my two pistols, I spun them around on my fingers. "Hope you've earned a place in Heaven, or else the fire you're about to experience is gonna haunt you for all eternity."

The captain's face turned dark. "Wrathbone Pirates, kill him! Flyway formation!"

Shasta leaped, her swords glinting in the sunlight as she spun them around herself to gain momentum. She nearly cut me, but I kicked away from her, sliding along and upward through the air as she approached. Behind her, I spotted the huge man as he leaped on her, then kicked away, slowing her momentum but continuing his own as he swung his mace at me. I flipped away from his attack, moving higher into the sky, but then the knife-boy appeared, all four knives shooting toward me as he grinned wickedly. I sidestepped his attack and kicked higher, then the captain herself appeared.

Her face was altered, the eyes of a cat staring out at me as her face grew whiskered and feline. A clawed hand cut toward me as a grin of triumph split her expression, revealing fangs.

"CHEETAH-CHEETAH SLICE-N-DICE!"

My vision grew red and I flashed back down to the ground, my back to the pirates. Waiting until all four pairs of feet had hit the ground, I turned to look at her and raised Lac'sar up by my shoulder.

"You will die this day."

She smirked and moved, blurring even to my vision as she flashed away and reappeared in front of me, her claws reaching for me. Whipping Ras'cal up, I slapped her attack away and snapped a kick into her stomach before leveling both pistols at her.

"Wicked Twin Sideshow!"

The barrels of the two guns barked six times each, laying down a crosshatch pattern that was designed to ensure an opponent was hit at least once if not more. As she sidestepped each shot, however, I was forced to rethink my strategy and leaped into the air as a mace slammed into the ground where I had been standing.

"Don't forget about us, little man!" The big brute smirked up at me as he freed his weapon and swung it again.

"We're not your usual opponents, mister." The boy slashed toward me from behind, nearly touching my coat before I somersaulted over his head, coming face-to-face with a grim-looking Shasta, who simply shot toward me, her swords crossing to form a sort of scissors.

"LOBSTER STRIKE!"

I leaped over the attack, flipping around and planting a hand on her head as I flew over her. "You four are annoying."

Landing beyond her, I spun my pistols around in my hands before catching them again. "Twin-Twin Double!"

The air around my hands rippled, then another chamber, trigger and barrel emerged from the bottom of my pistols and my opponents suddenly found themselves facing four guns. Smiling, I leveled the weapons at the catwoman.

"My pistols have eaten the Twin-Twin Devil Fruit. Not only that, I'm wicked fast and pack a mean punch. And you only come at me like _that_?! I'm insulted."

The boy gaped at me. "How do pistols eat fruit? It's insane!"

"Not in the Grand Line." Their captain tossed her black-spotted yellow hair over her shoulder, smiling toothily at me. "So, you're someone who's been there and back. Means if we kill you, we shouldn't have a problem there, either!"

With that, she shot toward me, her teammates surrounding me and swinging their weapons simultaneously. This time, however, their attacks also covered the air; I wouldn't get away that way. Shrugging, I lowered my head and focused instead on how to kill the woman, the abomination.

Their weapons struck me, creating a whirlwind of power that would have blown me away if I had been a normal human and had managed to avoid their attacks. Instead, however, I took their blows and smiled as they cried out in pain, backing away from me and staring in horror as the debris settled. I was untouched.

"That's what happens in the Grand Line, too," I said in satisfaction. "There are people there who want to kill others and focus so intently on that intent to kill that anyone with less deadly intent will find themselves unable to hurt them. Worse, like in your case," I nodded at their bleeding hands, "there will be those who think they are hard, but have only a hard shell around a soft core. Once that shell is broken," I raised Ras'cal up and rested its twin barrels on my shoulder, "you find your own weapons being swayed by the other's intent to kill and injuring you, instead."

Shasta spun her blades through her hands, which I noted with surprise were untouched by her swords, and furrowed her brow at me. Her captain smiled wickedly.

"Kill him, Shasta. Kill him and I'll give you your freedom."

My eyebrows raised up as I digested that little statement, then a plan formed in my head and I brought both weapons down, lowering my head as I began focusing. The air around me grew thick, then a wind whipped up around me and began cycloning around me; raising my weapons up to point at the captain, I leaped, screaming commands.

"TWIN-TWIN QUADRUPLE!" Two more barrels emerged from the handles at right angles from the others, while the handles grew into gloves that strapped themselves to my hands, a squeeze trigger forming in my grip. "TWIN-TWIN OCTUPLE!" Four more barrels emerged from each one, creating a ring of barrels that circled my arms, then I spun my feet around and braced against the air, slowing to a halt as I finished, "Wicked Twin Hellfire!"

Aiming both weapons at the cat, I braced against the air and cut loose, a rain of fire slamming down into the ground around her. She flashed past the first wave, then I began tracking past her, moving as fast as she was and slightly faster as I moved in front of her and caused her to backpedal away more than once. The big brute attempted to get in between us and shield her with his mace, but I flashed in front of him and kicked his head, sending him flying away as I continued pursuing her with my weapons.

She ran, her eyes always on my weapons' chambers as she attempted to watch for when my weapons would run out of ammunition. Grinning, I laughed at her.

"Sorry, forgot to tell you; once they've been double, the Wicked Twins don't run out of ammo."

She hissed and abruptly cut into a ninety-degree turn that took her toward where Aliza was guarding Licone, her intent to force me to stop lest I harm them obvious. Smirking, I flashed in front of her and watched as she skidded to a halt just in front of the sixteen muzzles.

"I think I'm getting tired of my inferiors thinking they can outthink me."

She hissed, then her eyes widened in surprise as I transformed the twins back to their original forms and spun them around on my fingers.

"I will now kill you and defeat your crew." Smiling arrogantly at her, I hefted both pistols up to my shoulders. "And I will do it with the twins in their normal states."

She hissed and flashed toward me, her claws reaching for my face. There was an explosion, then my afterimage faded from in front of her as she collapsed, her skull moving away from Ras'cal's muzzle as I eyed her shocked crew coldly.

"Who's next?"

The boy screamed and shot toward me, a storm of knives shooting from him as he flung everything he had at me. Aiming Lac'sar, I squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet out that deflected every single blade before slamming into the kid's skull, dropping him like a rag doll as he skidded forward until he reached my feet, his momentum dying at that point. The big man bellowed and leaped at me, his mace slamming down and cracking the ground; the crack raced toward my feet until I stomped down with one foot, sending a shockwave out that stopped the crack and sent another one toward the big man.

He grunted as he leaped aside, rolling into a crouch and coming up just in time to freeze, terror on his face, as I aimed my pistol at him, my eyes cold.

"I am sorry."

He screamed, then threw his mace at where my crewmates were; growling, I pulled the trigger and he followed his crewmates to death. Spinning around, I was preparing to flash forward when the mace dissolved into four separate parts, Shasta landing on the ground gently as the dissected pieces of the weapon fell to the ground. Looking at me sadly, she settled into a combat stance.

"I am prepared to die; shall we dance?"

I grunted. "Why'd you stop the mace?"

She spat. "He was dishonorable. Anyone who is defeated so thoroughly in battle shouldn't be thinking about how many he can take with him, but rather dying honorably."

Chuckling, I holstered my pistols. "Not in war, swordfighter. Not in war."

She looked at me curiously, suspiciously. "Why are you holstering your weapons?"

Drawing my right fist back, I braced my shoulder with my left hand and smirked at her. "I swore to defeat your crew, did I not? But it doesn't seem right to kill you, who is so far above these others, in the same fashion as them. So..." I lowered my head and growled as more and more energy began accumulating in my fist, the air around me beginning to crackle from the sheer amount of power in my grip. I felt the air temperature rising, too, and smirked as I brought my head back up.

"You will not die this day."

With that, I shot forward, the power of the attack ripping a trench in the ground as I burst toward Shasta, who simply stared in awe at the power approaching her. Smiling as I watched her face settle into calm, I flashed behind her, to get my crew out of the line of fire, and raised my hand above my head. Just before I brought it down, I looked into her eyes as she looked up at me towering over her, my coat billowing in the wind whipped up by my attack.

"Are you prepared to die, warrior?"

She nodded once and stared at me unblinkingly. "Do it. Do it and I will be free."

I laughed once, then brought the attack down. "GORGON FIST!"

Her eyes widened, then the attack struck next to her, bathing us both in pure power as it radiated outward from my fist.

Then I smirked and picked her up, bringing her into my coat and flashing back to shield the other two girls, Aliza trying desperately to block out the light of my attack with her arms as she attempted to create a candy shield around her and Licone. As I settled down over the two of them, she looked at Shasta in surprise, but whatever she might have said was drowned out by the explosion that rippled out across the mountain.

Smiling as the energy battered at me, I looked at my captain and smirked.

"Meet our new swordfighter, Captain."


	11. The Monster Withdraws

BlueRyuu- This chapter counts as confusing, no? Or will it count as the opposite? You decide, in our next episode of In Case of Pirates!

-Del ra sh'jel nor'tim-

The cloud of dust settled, revealing my dark form rising up from the three females at my feet, my overcoat billowing sinisterly over the three and concealing them, most particularly Shasta, from the crowd, my hands tucked into the pockets midway down the coat to hold it somewhat closed as I gazed out at the devastation I had wrought and the bodies of my opponents. The referee, emerging from behind the iron wall he had been hiding behind, raised a shaking hand.

"Th-The Wrathbone Pirates h-have b-b-been defeated! I declare the P-Pirates of Doom the victors of the tournament!"

The crowd burst into cheers as the announcer whooped. "YEE-HEAAAH! HE DID IT! THE MYSTERIOUS GUNMAN DID IT! HE BEAT THE ENTIRE TEAM SINGLE-HANDEDLY! WHAT A GUY! WHAT A HUNK!"

I felt a drop of sweat form on the back of my head, then I turned to the referee.

"I believe we have earned a ship. Where is it?"

He pointed a quivering finger at a well-rounded man who was just emerging from a small audience box. "M-Mister Wellingtoes w-will show you to th-the docks..."

"NOT SO FAST!"

The crowd stilled as a huge man emerged from the far hall, a massive cannon strapped to one arm and three swords on the other, while his entire body was layered with armor plating. Beside him, a long, slender man with the look of a killer strode beside him, an annoyed look on his face, while a massive crew of men with cat-ears on their heads swarmed from behind them and surrounded the arena, more pouring out from behind the crowd and keeping the suddenly-fearful masses from fleeing.

The big man raised his cannon at me and grinned wickedly. "I, Don Krieg, have need of those four ships! AND I WILL HAVE THEM!"

The man beside him raised one hand and adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand, an annoyed look on his face as he continued walking toward me. "Idiot! That isn't the only reason we're here, remember?" Looking up at us, he smiled thinly. "After all, we wouldn't want to injure possible partners, would we?"

Aliza popped up in front of me, her arms crossed. "What's that supposed to mean, four-eyes?"

The man's forehead vein bulged, but he still managed to keep his cool. "I would not make me angry, little girl. I simply wish to make an offer to the captain of your crew."

"You're talkin' to her. Talk already!" Her arms still folded, she turned to the side, closing her eyes in annoyance. "'Cause so far, you're just keepin' us from making Nicky better."

I said nothing, my simple silence acknowledging my agreement with her statement.

The thin man had looked a little thrown-off by Aliza's statement that she was captain, but he adjusted quickly and pushed his glasses up on his nose with his palm again, a strange movement that I found vaguely familiar. I couldn't place it, however.

"Right. I wish to offer you a place in a partnership with myself and my fellow pirate captain, Admiral Don Krieg."

"Why're ya workin' together?" Aliza turned to look at the man, curiosity in her voice. "Pirates don't work together."

"They do when they've been beaten by a snot-nosed straw hat punk and his crew of misfits!" Don Krieg spat to the side. The thin man nodded and sighed.

"We've both been bested by this Straw Hat crew and have been lying low for a while." He smiled toothily, a wicked expression. "Now, however, we've discovered that this has opened new opportunities for us."

"Such as...?" Aliza prompted impatiently; his grin grew even more wicked.

"We are creating a coalition of powerful pirate crews with the ultimate goal of conquering and dominating the East Blue completely, driving out the Navy wherever we find them and making a utopia for ourselves from which we can plot our assault on the Grand Line, where treasures untold lie!"

He was about to go on, but moaning caused him to stop and look down at Aliza, who was spread-eagled on the ground, her eyes spinning in a daze and drool trickling down her mouth.

"Biiiig... Woooorrrds... Arrrgyyy... Heeellllppp..."

I smirked. "He wants us to join him and his buddy to make a bunch of pirate ships that will take over the East Blue. He wants to destroy the Navy around here and make a base so that they can try to get into the Grand Line and take all its treasure."

She popped to her feet, her eyes shining. "TREASURE? IN THE GRAND LINE!" She spun around and pointed at the sun, which was beginning to set. "THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING NEXT! FOR TREASURE, PIRATES OF DOOM!"

I smirked and pulled down my hat. "For the treasure!"

She pumped her fist in the air happily and spun around, moving toward our hall. "Welp, let's get going! We gotta load up our new ship with the treasure we got here and set sail for..." She paused and looked back at me, embarrassment on her face. "Um, where're we goin'?"

"The Grand Line." Shasta stood up next to me, her expression troubled but her voice firm. "It is a place of many dangers and many treasures. Or so they say."

Aliza smiled happily. "Well, once Nicky and Licky are better, we'll set sail! Okay, First Mate Argy? Second Mate Sassy?"

A drop of sweat formed on the back of Shasta's head. "Um, my name's Shasta..."

"Yeah! That's what I said! Sassy!"

I nudged Shasta in the ribs. "She's the captain, so she's always right."

Shasta got the hint and nodded somberly. "Very well, Captain."

"I dislike being ignored."

There was the sound of swords scraping together behind us and I smirked. "You did _not_ just draw your weapons on me. I know for a _fact_ that you didn't, because if you _did_, I'd have to turn you and your pathetic group of weaklings into so much compost."

"Kuro! Krieg! Are you_ trying_ to lose a prospective partner?!" The new voice was high and nasally; turning my head to the side, I looked over my shoulder and spotted the slender man wearing black-furred gloves with long swords attached to the fingers, Krieg resting his cannon on his shoulder and both men looking in annoyance at Wellingtoes, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently. "Here we are, attempting to gather _allies_ and _you_ two are trying to _kill_ them!"

"My brilliant strategy does not rest on us gaining this one measly crew, Mayor." The slender man, who I suddenly remembered seeing once before during a nighttime scouting mission on a small island, raised his right hand and fixed his glasses with his palm before glaring at the shorter man. "No matter how strong they are."

"You didn't just see the gunman fight, idiot." Kuro, the slender man, stiffened as if slapped, then Krieg spoke up.

"Grah. All I see is a pathetic group of pirates. There's only four of them, so it shouldn't take more than four minutes."

He brought his cannon off his shoulder, then froze as he found Ras'cal's muzzle just in front of his nose, aimed right between his eyes. Looking down at Wellingtoes, I smiled thinly from behind my blindfold.

"You are a smart man, Wellingtoes. I suggest you attempt to fix the situation before these two make me angry."

Krieg bellowed angrily and swung his sword-bearing arm down at me. "WHY YOU-"

I nonchalantly turned my back to him and caught his other arm as it descended with my left hand, scooting up next to his chest as I kept Ras'cal pointed at his chin and held his other arm helplessly in my grip. "Better hurry, little man. This guy's coming dangerously close to dying."

Wellingtoes shrugged. "If it'll get you to join us, then go ahead and kill him. The power of our group will still be higher than it is now."

Krieg stammered something furious-sounding, then I smirked. "You'll have to speak with my captain; I am simply the first mate."

He looked up at me carefully, his shrewd little eyes boring into my amused expression intensely before he turned to face Aliza. "Very well. You! Captain! What is your answer? Will you join us?"

Beyond Kuro, who was watching me with a calculating look, Aliza put one finger on her chin thoughtfully as she sat down cross-legged next to Licone, who was still unconscious but was somehow looking better than before. Scratching her head, she smiled and shook her head.

"Nah, we're goin' to the Grand Line to get treasure!"

Wellingtoes smiled affably. "But if you join us and help us with our plan, we'll help you get even more treasure!"

She smiled smugly and folded her arms. "That's not how it works, Toby. Lemme tell ya how it works; one crew finds treasure, they _keep_ it for themselves. They don't share with _anybody_, or else somebody will steal it all. Besides," she smiled toothily, "My crew's way stronger than yours. We'll work way better by ourselves."

Wellingtoes sighed. "Is there nothing I can say to convince you otherwise?"

She shook her head firmly. "Nope."

"Then I have no choice." Raising his hand, he snapped his fingers; as one, the pirates in the stands above cocked their rifles. "Not only will I have to slaughter everyone here, but now I'll also be taking my daughter back." Raising his voice, he looked toward where Licone was lying. "Licone! These creatures want to hurt Nicole!"

Nothing happened and Aliza laughed. "Stupid Toby, she's a member of my crew! Licky and Nicky know we won't hurt them!"

His smile was evil. No other word describes it. "But she is asleep; she won't know the difference!"

I felt my eyes widen slightly. "When we sleep, Captain, our subconscious minds, the ones that govern reflexes and the like, are no longer protected from outside influence by the conscious mind. It's how hypnosis works; wake Licone up _now_!"

"LICONE! THEY'RE ATTACKING NICOLE!"

Aliza looked at me with a startled expression on her face, but she reached a hand over to shake Licone's shoulder nevertheless. I tried to warn her as Licone's eyes flew open, but it was too late; with a predatory howl, the older girl leaped up, spinning around and slamming a foot into the ground just in front of Aliza, shattering it and blowing my captain back several feet. Shasta whipped out two of her swords, catching the next seventy-two kicks in the next fourteen seconds on her swords as she defended herself against a blinding volley of furious strength.

I sank my heels into the ground and flashed forward, but then Kuro appeared in front of me, his blades raised in front of him and a smirk on his face. Skidding to a halt, I stared him in the eye.

"This can get ugly or brutal; your choice."

He smiled thinly. "Oh, I think I'll let my crew decide." Looking up at the stands, he shouted, "Shiam! Bucci! Get down here!"

A pair of men dressed like cats leaped from the stands, yowling as they shot toward us; behind them, I saw the pirates already butchering the townspeople.

Just like _him_.

My world turned red as I turned to look at Wellingtoes, who was smugly watching Licone attack Shasta.

"WELLINGTOES!"

He started and turned to look at me, his face paling slightly as he saw my expression. Above me, the two men, one fat and the other skinny, descended toward me, their clawed hands ready to rip me to shreds.

"WELLINGTOES! CALL OFF THIS SLAUGHTER BEFORE I RIP YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC GANG A NEW ONE!"

His smile returned and he brought out a strange helmet-like device from his coat. "You want to know something interesting about Licone, my friend?" Putting the helmet on, he flipped a strange switch on the side and smiled wickedly. "She's not nearly as resistant to mental attack as Nicole."

I felt my eyes widen slightly, then I snarled and flashed toward him, my weapons raising as I took aim at him. Before I could pull the triggers, however, Licone blurred into existence in front of me, her eyes blank as she aimed a kick at my head that I was barely able to pull back from. Before I could recover fully, she was on me, her feet flying at me as she drove me away from the scumbag controlling her. I found myself hard-pressed not to get kicked, not because she would hurt me but because I didn't want a reflexive attack being triggered by her hitting an old wound or ripping my blindfold off.

As I backed away, I hastily reviewed my slim bag of options. Run away and come back for her later; best chance for success but I wasn't sure what I could do short of killing Wellingtoes that could save her from his newfound grip on her head; besides, the longer we left her with him, the longer he'd have to cement his grip on her mind. Stay and fight, hoping to get the chance to wipe him out; the chances of success weren't that great, because I wasn't sure how I could get to him short of unleashing my special abilities and/or weaponry, which could either break the connection between her mind and her body completely or, on the other hand, could shatter the entire island if I got too carried away. Or I could just punch her and hope to knock her out only, not crush her skull completely.

"ARGY! HELP!"

Turning my head slightly, I spotted Aliza and Shasta fighting back-to-back against Kuro's wicked-fast movements and Krieg's powerful weaponry, the two of them slowly losing out to the mightier pair; gritting my teeth, I looked back at Licone and felt my heart slowly sink. The familiar feeling came back; the knowledge that I couldn't save everyone by fighting, but would have to leave something to another person's abilities. I could only pray Licone and Nicole could hold out long enough for us to save them.

"We'll be back, Licone. We'll save you and Nicole from them, I promise."

With that, I dug my heels in and flashed back to where my captain and second mate were fighting, appearing with a roundhouse kick to Don Krieg's armored head that sent him flying across the arena into a wall, while Kuro was knocked back by one of my punches to his gut. I felt Licone's presence approaching and flashed to Aliza and Shasta's side, my voice as grim as I felt.

"Captain, we have to retreat for now."

"NO! WE'RE NOT LEAVING LICKY AND NICKY BEHIND!"

"CAPTAIN!" She jerked and looked up at me wide-eyed, while I continued sadly, "If we keep fighting her, either we will be eventually defeated and killed or she will be. We need to retreat for now; but I promise we will come back for her. We will not leave without her."

Shasta nodded and looked at the pirates swarming at us from all directions, spinning her twin swords around expertly as Kuro slowly got to his feet and Krieg began barreling toward us. "I advise moving _now_, Captain. Whether fight or flight, we must decide _now_."

Aliza looked up at me, tears forming in her eyes, then she looked over to where Licone was striding toward us, her expression still blank; inhaling deeply, she poured her grief and determination into a scream.

"WE WILL COME BACK, LICKY 'N NICKY! WE WON'T LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!"

Grunting, I knelt down. "Get on my back, both of you."

Aliza sadly walked around behind me and hopped on, squirming around the shaft of Yamakaze as she muttered something about 'bumby back', then Shasta sheathed her swords and leaped on my back, the girls clutching on to my shoulders before the swordswoman shouted, "LET'S GO!"

Holstering my pistols, I reached back and wrapped my arms around their legs. As the pirate swarm came close enough for them to begin drawing their weapons back for slashes at us, I leaped straight up, flying two hundred feet in the air before I spun around and braced my feet against the air. As we slowed, I applied pressure with my heels and we flashed across the island through the sky, blurring into view again over the town. Hordes of pirates swarmed over the docks and streets of the town, looking for any treasure Reza and Aliza hadn't already grabbed. I felt my heart darken as I spotted them grabbing the pair's treasure from the _Doom_, but logic slapped my fury across the face and aimed me at a small bay on the far side of the island that had a small island in it.

My heels flexed again and I flashed over to the island, settling on the sand and crouching down to let the girls off my back. Aliza sobbed as she flopped on the ground, her tears streaming down her face as she bawled.

"F-F-First Rezzy, th-then L-Licky 'n N-N-Nicky! I'm a horrible captaaaaaaaiiin!"

Shasta stood beside me and eyed me strangely, but I ignored her as I sat down next to Aliza, carefully moving Yamakaze's head to the side, and gently picked her up and set her in my lap, hugging her to my chest as I ran my hand through her hair in an attempt to soothe her. As her sobs grew quieter, I took her shoulders in my hands and levered her far enough away that I could look down into her eyes, my tone somber.

"Captain, there was nothing you could have done. Reza chose to die taking revenge on that man for killing his clan; he made his decision to fight that man to restore his clan's honor. Not even I, his partner, could have or would have stopped him."

She hiccuped and wiped at her eyes with one hand. "B-But what about Licky an'-an' Nicky?"

"We are going to get them back." I let some of the iron in my soul seep into my words. "We will get them back if we have to tear this entire island in two and destroy every single person here. They are our crew mates; Nicole is our navigator, Licone her bodyguard. Both of them are our friends, too, so that means we _will_ get them back. Besides," I quirked a grin, "I promised to bring them back."

She looked down, then flopped forward and hugged my chest, whimpering quietly. "I still don' wanna be Captain anymore."

I looked down at her head in surprise, then smiled softly. "But you're such a _good_ captain! You're the only captain I will serve under and that is that!"

She looked up at me in surprise, then smiled happily through her tears and cuddled back up against my chest. "Thank you, First Mate Argy."

We stayed like that for a few moments, then I felt her fall asleep and smiled softly, looking up at Shasta, who had been standing silently over us the entire time.

"Well, life is so very interesting."

She looked down at me suspiciously. "Yes. Interesting. That is the word. It's interesting, for example, how you've gone to all this trouble to get me to join your crew, sparing me of all the opponents your crew has fought. Interesting how you pretended to build up an attack capable of leveling the entire field just to save me from it a second later. Interesting how you, who are obviously the most powerful man in this area, are blithely obedient to a little girl hardly worth spitting on. Interesting how you're planning to fight against all _that_," she gestured back at the island and the swarms of pirates that were still plundering the island, "just to get back a schizophrenic girl who's more trouble than she's worth._" _Her eyes went steely. "So interesting, in fact, that I find myself curious as to _why_."

Chuckling, I gestured for her to sit in front of me. "Sit down, swordswoman, and I shall lay your questions to rest." When she hesitated, a suspicious glint in her eyes, I smirked amusedly. "Oh, c'mon; if I wanted something from you, don't you think I would've just ripped it from your lifeless corpse instead of going to all this trouble?"

She nodded once and, moving to stand in front of me, sat down cross-legged on the ground, her swords still strapped to her back. "All right, explain."

"Well," I began, "the root of the matter seems to be why _I_ am doing what I am doing, so I will explain that first." I shrugged. "To be honest, it's because I've fought all my life for somebody else's cause. I've fought for so long and for so hard that I believe I have lost the ability to have my own cause; instead, I now must choose the people I fight for carefully." Looking down at Aliza as she slept peacefully in my lap, I smiled softly. "This girl stormed into my life with the declaration that she was a pirate; what's more, she was proud of it. Looking back, I think what drew me to her was the fact that she had a more innocent belief in what a pirate was. She kills, yes; she's far too mature in that direction than any child her age has a right to be."

Raising my eyes back up to meet Shasta's penetrating gaze, I smiled from behind my blindfold. "But she's not a killer. She doesn't take pleasure in it at all, I don't think; if she did, I would have already killed her myself. Instead, she obsesses over treasure and fighting, taking a distinct pleasure in defeating any Navy personnel she sees. I think I serve her cause because I see a purity in her desire to become the greatest pirate, a purity that none of my previous causes have had in them."

She eyed me for a moment when I finished, then nodded warily. "I cannot see your eyes, Argyle Finch, but everything else about your body says that you speak the truth. I believe you." Relaxing slightly, she raised one eyebrow at me. "Now, what about the rest?"

"Why I have done what I did and what I plan to do?" I shrugged and smiled at her. "It is because it furthers my captain's cause." Nodding at Shasta, I continued, "You are a swordfighter of great skill; I can see it in the way you move. Beyond that, however, you have honor, something rare and valuable among pirates here in the East Blue. As I fought you, I decided that I had to have you; this same honor that I desired for my captain's crew, however, also meant that you, who had resigned yourself to die, would not easily go along with me if I simply asked you to. I had to prove to you that you had been thoroughly defeated along with the rest of your crew, which meant you were essentially dead. Once that was done, it meant you had just been handed a clean slate, the original swordfighter having been killed with her crew during the fight."

Her eyes widened slightly, then she bowed her head to me. "I am surprised; not many pirates think of such things in battle."

"It's like you said," I said smugly, "the Blind Gunfighter is a sagely, powerful man of incredible good looks and yet a humility of-ow!"

I rubbed my head, giving her a fake-hurt look as she picked up another small pebble from the sand and smiled cheekily at me. "I don't recall ever saying those things about you, First Mate Argyle. Next lie gets you one on the nose!"

Chuckling, I returned to my explanation. "And for what I plan to do, it is simple; that girl furthers my captain's cause and, beyond that, has gained a small piece of my heart." Smiling thinly, I petted Aliza's head gently. "I am a man who has spent too many years alone and friendless, apart from normal human emotions. I take my friendships incredibly serious; for this reason and this reason alone would I gladly take on ten thousand foes." Raising my head, I stared straight at Shasta.

"That girl has become a friend. I, Argyle Finch of Nevermore, will fight to the death and beyond for my friends." Adding a taste of steel to my voice, I continued, "if I have to, I will take over Hell and return with a legion of demons to rescue them. This have I sworn, on the many, many graves of my comrades, to always accomplish."


	12. Eye of the Storm

BlueRyuu- Maybe not a complete explanation, nor a complete chapter, but I needed to get this put out and, at the end, I discovered that it was too short for a full chapter but too long for a partial, since the next part is... Well, take a wild guess.

If you are not satisfied with what little explanation there is, well... Let's just say life stories will come later. 'Kay? Long nights at sea, nothing to do but count treasure and tell stories, there _will_ be something there, yes? Yes.

And PLEASE don't stop reviewing; you're the only reason I'm still going with this. "At least ONE person likes my storytelling; must keep writing! Must get better, to make it more entertaining! MUST BECOME SUPER-SAIYAN AUTHOR!

And now, ULTIMATE ATTACK! PEN-PEN CHAPTER!

Skadoosh.

-Ded'for nel tropksull-

Aliza was sleeping on my lap and Shasta was curled up further down the beach, her swords next to her and one arm laying across them. My coat was curled around my captain, the better to keep her warm, and I was slowly drifting off to sleep.

Shasta's suspicions had been soothed by my explanations and she had related some of her history to me; she had been traveling around the East Blue in a search for Roronoa Zoro, whom she wished to defeat in combat to prove her superior skills. But she had failed thus far and had been begging for food on the side of a road when the pirate woman had found her and had struck a bargain; she would provide Shasta with food and a place to sleep in exchange for her services.

What had started as a single mission had, by hook and by crook, become a lifelong debt that Shasta had found on her shoulders. It had been fortunate for her that we had come along; her captain had been thinking of raiding some small villages after the tournament to acquire some material wealth. She wasn't sure she would have been able to go along with that and would have had a conflict of interest she would have been able to solve only by killing herself.

When she finished her story, she had promptly rolled over and gone to sleep, leaving me to slowly follow her, the sun completely setting as my eyelids fell shut.

Then a thought, a memory, wafted through my brain; _Medusa_... _Medusa..._

-Le'von der kelzh-

"Medusa, my queen, your dinner is ready."

She turned to me, her cold green eyes, so much like a viper, boring into my own, the ten thousand orbs covering her body blinking steadily at me as she slowly raised her serpentine body up, her feathered wings unfolding as she stretched, shaking her dark green locks before she slithered toward the table where I had placed that evening's meal; side of man, head of merman, various other courses made from intelligent species. She loved eating things that had once reasoned; it made her feel superior to them.

As she regarded the meal before her, she spoke to me. "How fares our war, Gargoyle, my sweet?"

I shrugged, Yamakaze thumping gently against my back. "Baroness Nek'rio and her Siren Guard have made an appearance on the southern front; they slaughtered two thousand and fifteen of our soldiers before I could get there."

She smiled thinly. "My dear sister is becoming arrogant; yet she's too smart to face you in battle, my sweet. Not yet fatally arrogant, then; a pity." Reaching one clawed hand down, the bracelet hanging from her wrist scraping against her rock-hard skin, she delicately selected an ear from a dish and popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "I suppose a battle between her and I is inevitable." She blinked several of her arm-eyes at me as she swallowed. "And Leviathan? What of my dear brother?"

My face remained impassive as she reached for the nose of the head on the table. "His Merman Corps hit Loshiro Island yesterday. They smashed the base there and destroyed everyone on the island, including Troll."

She nearly dropped the nose, then she turned her head to me, her face covered in suddenly unblinking eyes. "He's getting proud of past successes, proud to the point of arrogance. I think, my dear Gargoyle, I will need to deal with him once we crush my sister."

As she swallowed the nose whole, I reached one hand back and wrapped it around Yamakaze, my other hand retrieving a pair of objects from my pocket and tossing them on the table in front of her. "Oh, by the way, here're two more hors d'oeuvres for you, my queen."

She looked at me and the things at the same time, her body suddenly still. "My sister's ring and my brother's necklace." Turning to face me, she rose to full height. "I would ask how you did it, but your body shows your past. So you defeated them both, did you?"

"I am no longer your pawn, Medusa." Slowly drawing Yamakaze from behind me, I held it down by my side. "Your sister was a witch, your brother a demon. But you? You're somebody I've thought of with loathing for so long it's embarrassing that I served your purposes even to this point. You fit the title of Gorgon; nothing else is degrading enough"

I felt my body stop moving as she spoke. "So you betray me even after I raised you to your rank? Treated you so well among all my servants? Trusted you with everything?"

"No, you didn't." Focusing, I raised my head, my hat brim coming up to reveal my own pair of golden eyes, my two orbs furiously fighting off the influence of her Gorgon Stare, the optical power that she and her closest advisors, bodyguards and I, her consort, held. "You didn't trust that I knew what I was doing on Lovor. You refused to believe I could handle things on Marzhan. The same with Kor'zha, Nev'kor, Luk'durgz and Murdvane, just to name a few."

"So that got me to thinking; why? Why did you mistrust even me so much? Then it came to me when you ordered the execution of the Logrinz villagers; you were scared of everyone. Your terror drives you to madness; to the point where you are dangerous to yourself and everyone around you. I cannot allow someone who has such power and yet has lost control to continue living."

She laughed, a harsh sound, and spread her wings, her locks erupting into life as they turned to vipers that hissed and spat at me. "So you think to challenge me? Hah! Even now, your body is immobilized! You are _mine_, Gargoyle, and mine _alone_!"

She raised one fist, power crackling in its grasp, then I smiled. "Hardly." Raising Yamakaze, ignoring the power of her Stone Gaze, I readied it. "Your defeat was assured the moment I entered the room."

Before she could speak, the poison in the nose of the human finished spreading through her body; in an instant, she turned to ash, thus ending the reign of Medusa, Gorgon Queen of the Lug'burz Archipelago.

Bringing Yamakaze down, I shattered the castle into rubble, destroying the Logia Necklace, Zoan Ring and Paramecia Bracelet in a single blow, ending the current-reigning Trinkets of Devils. As the dust settled and I slowly strode away, Reza lighting on my shoulder, the blood of the castle's inhabitants on his feathers, I knew we had created an age of chaos, but chaos that was no longer malignant in intent...

-De'rfon nil kur-

My eyes opened wide, the dark of night hardly even a challenge for my eyes to see in. Aliza still slept on my lap, while Shasta was sleeping lightly next to her swords, her body relaxed but her reflexes still tightened. I was the only one awake.

Then again, I was probably the only one dreaming of _her_.

Sighing, I reached up and undid the blindfold around my eyes, letting it fall into my lap as my eyelids shielded the world from my gaze. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep any more; the mere _thought_ of dreaming of _her_ again filled me with such a revulsion for sleep that I didn't ever want to sleep again. So, instead, it would be a good idea to do some preliminary scouting, if only to ascertain our opponents' plans.

With that thought in mind, I opened my eyes.

The world burst into view, my gaze taking in everything before I focused it on the island we were on; ranging across the land mass, I swiftly found the three captains, plus seven or eight others, holding a conference in a small room in a house in town; I almost charged right in when I spotted Licone standing obediently behind Wellingtoes' shoulder, but I restrained myself; the little man still had his strange helmet on. Instead, I focused on what they were saying, reading their lips with the skill of years of practice. It was almost as good as hearing them.

"-find those three and kill them," Wellingtoes was saying. "If they live for much longer, they could begin wreaking havoc with our plans."

"Well, if you hadn't taken their _friend_," Kuro said, an irritated expression on his face, "they would have skipped town once they had taken their ship."

"And as I've already explained," Wellingtoes countered, "I couldn't let her go. She is my first subject, after all; I require her for the culmination of my own personal plans." He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, a wicked smile on his face. "Once that is complete, of course, I will have no further use for her."

I felt rage course through me, then Krieg spoke. "When will this _plan_ of yours be finished? It better be soon. That expression of hers is creeping me out; I would like for nothing more than to crush it in my fist." He squeezed one hand together as if he was already in the moment, a wicked smile crossing his face.

Wellingtoes smiled. "You're in luck, then; the final stage will be completed at noon tomorrow. Once I'm finished with her, you may destroy her to your liking."

Kuro sighed. "Instead of that, why don't we simply give her back to her crew and kill two birds with one stone?" Tapping one finger on his knee, he smiled grimly. "I have some experience with sentimental fools like that; they care more about each other than the larger picture. Once they have her, they will undoubtedly leave for the Grand Line on their ridiculous little journey and that will be the end of them."

"Because they may not keep our plans to ourselves; the Navy might strike before we are ready and that would put many things into new perspective." Wellingtoes smiled and shook his head. "No, we will simply kill them, and her as well. That will tie things up nicely." Turning his attention to the other captains, he smiled broadly. "And then our plans will come to fruition; these wonderful new additions to our armada will ensure our victory, as will the ships we have stolen from the tournament prize circle."

One of the other captains, a tall, skinny man with six swords strapped to his back, smiled viciously. "Killing Marines, killing pirates, killing girls, killing sounds good." Looking down at the sword in his hand, his smile grew broader, revealing a hint of insanity in it. "My blades thirst for blood."

I couldn't control myself; focusing on one of the other captains, a massive, powerful-looking man with a dark expression on his face, I drove a lance of energy through his system. He screamed in pain, causing every head to snap to look at him; before their eyes, I melted his skin right off his body before bringing streams of blood into the air and writing on the ceiling above them.

_Your blades shall break,_

_Your spirits will quake,_

_Your hands will shake,_

_Your souls I'll take._

As the pirates all finished reading, I tore his bones from his body and crushed them before shredding his remains and lighting them on fire. As the flames danced on the table, I focused on the shadows and projected my voice into them, creating an image of myself from the intangible shadows that rose from the table that slowly raised one hand, pointing at Licone's mindless body.

"_I am of the Pirates of Doom, children of cowardice. I am he who sees, he who knows. I am the first mate of the crew, and I have come this night to warn you; my captain has sworn to retrieve her._" Lowering the hand, I made the shadowy figure seem to slowly grow, the tendrils of darkness billowing out across the table. "_I, as her first mate, am duty-bound to ensure my captain's commands are carried out. Tomorrow, she will command her crew to follow her into battle, I am sure. Should she do so, I will obey her command with all the fury and hatred I have gained for you and your pathetic band of weak-kneed cowards. My bullets will not leave a man on this island alive; thus, I also believe it best to inform you that I am sworn to return our crewmate to the ship and I am not one to shirk my oaths. Should any man wish to survive to see the evening tomorrow, I advise you to leave now._" The shadowy figure began shrinking swiftly, one final sentence echoing through the room as it vanished altogether. "_For tomorrow is the last sunrise that shall be seen on this island._"

As I let the image fade, I derived great satisfaction from watching the nervous glances of the pirates gathered there; my dark mood of earlier having evaporated mostly, I closed my eyes and replaced the blindfold, smiling softly to myself as I opened my lids again and gazed down at my captain. Placing one hand gently on her head, careful not to awaken her, I turned my gaze to the stars and smiled softly to myself.

"Once a killer, always a killer, eh, Reza?" My smile fading at the thought of my dead buddy, I sighed and let my head slowly fall down to my chest, sleep slowly returning to me as I prepared mentally for the next morning.

Ironic, I abruptly realized just before I fell asleep; it was the day known to some as a day of sorrow, the Day of Blood, that we were to return for Licone and Nicole. Not common knowledge, to be sure, but my clan had celebrated it, the day of a terrible massacre of many of our warriors and those of some nearby islands by a vengeful group of demons whose leader we had killed.

Very, very ironic, then, that a group of three would destroy an entire fleet of pirates on the morrow to regain one who had been taken from us, as well. Very ironic, indeed.

With that thought bringing an amused smile to my face, I fell asleep.


	13. Dawn of the Demon

BlueRyuu- The nose was her favorite treat. Duh. XD

Nek'rio is a made-up name; I didn't know the names of any Sirens and didn't feel like looking them up. So there. XD And yes, it might be said that Luffy is a child of Medusa. It's a complicated relationship, though.

And the word is anticlimactic; yes, her death was VERY much so. However, if you were a smart killer, would you fight something that can control everything she sees or would you just plant a small piece of poison in her food that would turn her stone body into ash? She wouldn't feel any heat, she's stone. She wouldn't think of it being poisoned, as you wouldn't reveal your intentions until _after_ you get it in her system; then, you'd make her focus on your weaponry so she thinks you plan on challenging her outright.

Irony, dear children, is my name... And I just want to point out you are my mostest favoritest reviewer of all time.

Kid9535- A lurker comes from the shadows! HE STRIKES! NINJA STARS EVERYWHERE!

XD

Really, though, thanks a bundle. Now BlueRyuu can have help with the 'STOOPID AUTHUR!' rants.

If I ever get any... Which I might... Because I'm st00pid... Muahahaha.

Trust me, there are plot holes, but none that I ain't planning on explainin' later. Bwahahaha! And yes, POD versus SHC would be like Batman versus Spiderman. W-O-W. Not, of course, that the thought _ever_ occurred to me. -scoots what looks suspiciously like a sketch of Luffy using a Gum-Gum Pistol against a dual-colored-hair girl who is holding candy canes like swords behind the desk-

I also am unhappy about Reza's death, but it was-and is- a necessary evil; not only did the events sort of conspire against me, but I was finding it more and more difficult to keep him in the story. When that happens, what do you get? Invisible character, there for the battles but nothing else; I figured he deserved better, so he instead went down in a blaze of glory.

-Duk'zar kel-zhotz-

The sun was barely coming over the horizon when I woke up, the events of the night before bringing an amused smile to my face the instant I was conscious; then I spotted the form of Shasta standing on the shoreline and frowned slightly.

Then I suddenly registered that someone was _singing_; it was the words of the song that had reminded me of my actions the night before, I realized.

"_Day by day, night by night,_

_I am consumed by the loss of your eyes._

_The fading dusk reveals only sadness,_

_but my heart also knows rage._

_From dusk to dawn, throughout the day,_

_I seek for the home of my heart of rage._

_I see what they've done _

_and what they will do,_

_and my heart grows hot with the fire of death_

_for now I have lost my heart of love._

_From sea to sea, throughout the world,_

_I seek for the cause of my heart of rage._

As Shasta turned her head to regard a cloud above us, I abruptly realized _she_ was the one singing; I felt my jaw slacken as the beautiful voice sang the bitter words.

_The clouds above bear witness this day_

_to the heartache those men have caused us._

_I swear on the blood of the many I've killed _

_to bring back with me one who is precious to them._

_From heart to heart, within my friends,_

_I seek an answer to my heart of rage._

Aliza stirred in my lap, the brush of cloth against leather causing Shasta to hurriedly turn her head to look at us, her expression turning stolid as Aliza looked at her.

"Finally awake, are you?" Turning back to regard the sun that was rising in the distance, she continued softly, "Good. We have much to do if we are to regain your friend."

Aliza, however, simply stood up and stretched before trotting over to stand beside Shasta, watching the sunrise as well. "I liked your singing, but it sounded... Sad."

I felt one eyebrow raise in surprise, while Shasta winced. "You heard me?"

As I got smoothly to my feet, I smiled gently at her. "I agree with Captain Al; beautiful voice, beautiful way to wake up in the morning, bitter song to be singing." Stretching widely, I heard something crack and pop in my shoulders and smirked. "'Specially when this is going to be a victorious day; I can smell it in the wind."

Shasta snorted as she turned to face me, her four swords sheathed on her back as her loose white tunic waved in the wind, her dark green shorts flapping against her legs. "How can you be so sure, oh mighty First Mate and great Captain? We're facing an army of pirates and scum that will kill at the slightest hint of trouble, while their leaders are not only vicious, but powerful. How can you expect to get out without sacrificing something?"

I smirked as I settled my hat lower on my head. "We're sacrificing time; we all know that, swordfighter."

Aliza giggled, then she reached up and patted Shasta's shoulder, a determined smile on her face as she caught Shasta's gaze.

"We're gonna get Licky an' Nicky back, no matter how many o' them there are. We'll punch 'em and kick 'em and I'll sweet-sweet them and you'll stab them and Argy'll shoot 'em and scare them. They'll get clobbered before they know what's happening!"

I smirked as she finished, then I pulled out Ras'cal and spun it around on one finger. "What say we get this party started before our audience gets bored?"

Aliza smiled queasily. "Yeah, and let's hurry; I gotta use the bathroom and I'm hungry when we're done beatin' those guys up."

Sweatdrops formed on mine and Shasta's heads.

-Levant der'kraus-

The three of us came into the town from the direction of our little mini-island; I flashed us across the water separating us from the shore, then we walked to town from there.

As we entered the walled town from the forest, a pair of drunk pirates looked at us stupidly, then recognition hit and they smiled wickedly as they drew their swords.

"Hey! You! You're thoshe shree th't got 'way yesserday, right?"

One of the pirates reached back for a horn and Shasta placed one hand on a sword, then paused as I held a hand in front of her and Aliza stepped up, a smirk on her face as she folded her arms.

"That's right, dodos! We're the Pirates of Doom and we're here ta kick your butts!"

The pair looked at each other, then burst out laughing before the man with the horn brought it out in front of him and blew as hard as he could into it. Unfortunately, in his drunken state he missed; Shasta cut him down the next second at my gesture.

The other pirate looked in horror at the woman as she calmly straightened up, then Aliza trotted over to the horn and picked it up, looking curiously at it before throwing it at me, a grin on her face.

"Here, Argy, blow it. I think it's their alarm."

Shasta looked at me in shock, as did the other pirate, then I calmly brought the horn to my lips and, inhaling deeply, cut loose with the loudest blast I could, shattering the horn in the process. As the echoes died away, both the pirate and Shasta gaped at Aliza and me before shouting simultaneously, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! YOU DON'T BLOW THE ALARM IF _YOU'RE_ THE ONES SNEAKING IN!"

I smirked and opened my hand, letting the pieces of the horn fall to the ground. "Better for them to come out so we can fight them all at once..."

"... Then have ta hunt them down one by one," Aliza finished, her arms folded across her chest as she smirked amusedly at the pair in front of us; I drifted up to stand slightly behind her, my hands in the pockets of my coat as I smiled congenially at the pirate.

"And now, Shasta, if you would?"

The pirate realized what I was talking about the instant before her blade removed his head from his body; as he fell, she straightened up and glowered at us, drawing a second sword before spinning them around and attaching them to the other two.

"You're both completely crazy, you know that, right?"

Horns began sounding in the distance, followed by shouts as the drunken crews became alerted to the fact that somebody had blown the alarm horn. Smiling, Aliza shrugged.

"We're the Pirates of Doom; craziness is obli... Obli..."

I smiled. "Obligatory."

"Yeah! What he said." With that, she turned and began trotting down the street. I drifted along behind her, while Shasta brought up the rear; our senses were alert for anything that might have resembled somebody coming to attack us.

We all saw it at once; the scurrying of men as they moved in the shadows behind and around us, the scrape of metal against the walls, the glint of sunlight on steel, the eyes watching us furtively and smugly as we moved toward the center of town. Shasta moved up beside me.

"I think they're herding us into an ambush."

"Quite." I continued walking calmly as she looked at me increduously.

"And you're fine with that?"

Aliza looked behind at us and frowned. "Sassy, what did we say before?"

Shasta sighed and screwed her eyes shut as if a headache was brewing. "Never mind, then, captain." As she fell back to the rear again, I heard her muttering to herself about how she would have preferred to die in honorable combat, not an ambush; I just smirked and continued walking. Little did she realize that, at least in my case, the combat skills of the team were enhanced by large numbers of opponents gathered in one place.

We finally reached the town square to find our enemies emerging from everywhere around us; scores and scores of the pirates emerged cockily from their hiding places, swords and guns held ready in their hands as they contemplated killing us. Shasta cursed under her breath and turned around, the three of us facing in three different directions.

"So, _great leaders_, how do you plan to get us out of here?"

I smirked as I drew Ras'cal and aimed it at one pirate on my right, not even looking in his direction.

"I believe there is a technique that should work; if I do it right, it might even kill half of them." Shrugging, I felt my smirk widen. "If I do it wrong, of course, we'll all die, too."

Shasta gurgled something shocked-sounding, then the pirates burst out laughing, clearly not believing that what I was saying was true. Aliza, on the other hand, smirked with me.

"Well, we wouldn't be th' Pirates of Doom if we didn't feel a little doom now and then." Lowering her head, she nodded. "Do it, First Mate Argy!"

I nodded and squeezed off my shot. "Barrage of FiveThousand Skulls!"

The bullet went in the pirate's eye and shot out of his ear, entering another pirate's ear and exiting through his eye. The projectile shot across the clearing, missing me by a half-foot, and entered another pirate's eye before shooting out his ear. The bullet continued this deadly game of hide-and-seek, flashing back and forth around the three of us before it finally slammed into the heart of the final victim. The next second, fifty percent of the pirates in the clearing found themselves staring at the rest of their comrades as they collapsed to the ground, their skulls shattering. Smiling, I spun my pistol back into its holster before gesturing to Aliza.

"They're all yours."

She smirked and cracked her knuckles as she stepped toward the survivors, who found their former pride had been shaken and began backing away. Aliza would have none of that, however; raising one hand, she smiled toothily at them.

"SWEET-SWEET NEEDLES!"

Candy canes began popping into existence in the air, their tips sharpened to needle-fine points, then they rocketed toward the pirates around us; the men and women screamed as they fell, dozens of the projectiles embedded in their bodies. Beside me, Shasta was stock-still, her jaw slack as she watched in awe the thinning of the herd; Aliza smirked and gestured, causing the needlestorm to cease before she turned and beamed at Shasta.

"Your turn, Sassy!"

Shasta grimaced. "My name's Shasta." Smirking then, she crouched down and brought her swords back behind her, resembling a hawk as her expression turned wicked. "Oh, well. I guess we'll survive this, after all." With that, she leaped forward, screaming as she went, "SPIN DANCE!"

She began spinning the swords behind her as she ran, forming a pair of windmills that began churning the air around her from the sheer violence of their rotation. Before the few remaining pirates quite knew what was happening, she struck, bringing the windmills around from behind her and slashing through the survivors could recover; they died as had their comrades, leaving only a blood- and body-covered square behind.

As the dust settled from her charge, the sound of mocking applause could be heard and I turned my gaze to the roof a building on the side, regarding the man from the night before, his six swords still sheathed as he smiled arrogantly at us.

"Yeah, that's it! Kill, kill, kill!" His head went back and he laughed, then he looked back at us, his arms folding across his chest. "Ain't it fun? Kill everybody and everything and leave nothing behind; _this_ is what makes piracy fun!"

Aliza snorted. "Idiot! _Treasure_ is what makes being a pirate fun! Killing ain't fun at all; it's _boring_!" She brought one finger up and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Although... _Fighting_ is _lots_ of fun!"

The man snorted and unfolded his arms, drawing two swords from behind him as he smirked at her. "You're a stupid little girl; good thing I'm gonna kill you, otherwise you might live on believing such stupid drivel."

"Drivel?" Aliza looked confusedly at me, then the man leaped, causing me to flash in front of her, my own hands snapping out a pair of knives. Before the man could reach me, his eyes wild with an insane excitement, Shasta appeared, one sword behind her and another in front. Snapping the sword behind her forward, she shouted, "DANCE OF SCORPIONS, FIRST STEP!"

The sword disconnected and shot out, my eyes widening as a thin chain trailed out behind it, keeping the swords attached as the blade shot toward the suddenly-surprised pirate captain. He spun in mid-air, avoiding the attack, then Shasta snapped her other sword out and that blade grazed his arm, causing him to look at her with a wicked smile on his face.

"That's it! Kill!"

Shasta snapped her arms to the side, whipping the chain and causing the swords at the ends to split apart. "DANCE OF SCORPIONS, SECOND STEP!"

The swords came apart, then Shasta flicked her wrist and they came back together, the twin blades diving toward the man like the tails of scorpions. Grabbing Aliza as he spun, his own swords deflecting hers, I flashed to the top of a nearby roof. As I planted her on top of my shoulder, Aliza turned and beamed down at Shasta.

"We'll get outta your way, Sassy, okay? If you need us, we'll be rescuing Licky 'n Nicky, 'kay?"

Shasta looked at us in shock, then snapped her swords back as her opponent leaped forward, his own blades darting toward her heart.

"FINE! WHATEVER!" She screamed, her own swords blurring as they began going at it in earnest, "JUST DON'T COME RUNNING BACK TO ME 'CAUSE YOU NEED A SWORD OR TWO! ALL MINE ARE BUSY!"

I watched them for another second, then smirked and flashed away; from the way they were moving, I knew she would win. Or, if she didn't, I'd have to kill the man and us his soul to bring her back or something.

Then we came to the building I had seen the night before and I stopped; Krieg and Kuro looked up at us amusedly from the front door, their expression smug.

"Well, well, well, Don, what have we here?"

The big man flexed his arms. "Looks like a couple of rats, Kuro."

"Yes, indeed." Bringing his glove-blades up, Kuro crossed his arms in front of him and smiled thinly at us. "I believe we shall have to fire our pest-control specialists."

"And deal with 'em ourselves?" Krieg brought his cannon-arm up and aimed it at us. "Good idea."

I focused and found where Licone and Wellingtoes were; turning, I raised one arm and pointed at a distant steeple. "Captain, Wellingtoes and our friend are by that church. You go get her; I'll deal with these lowlife lieutenants myself."

Aliza smirked at the two. "Too bad, boys! I wanted ta fight all three of ya, but a captain must always fight a captain, so First Mate Argy's gonna kick your butts! Tata!"

With that, she leaped off my shoulder and rocketed away, speeding toward the distant steeple. Below, Kuro smirked and flashed after her, then froze as I flashed in front of him, my expression suddenly steely.

"My captain has decreed that I am to defeat you; therefore, defeat you I will."

Kuro smiled, then an explosion rocked the street and he flashed down to the cobblestones below, Krieg's projectile slamming into me and exploding violently.

As the smoke cleared, Krieg snorted. "Little punk thought he could defeat the strongest man in the East Blue! Ha!"

Kuro sighed. "Well, he _did_ delay me, I suppose; we should give him credit."

"Oh, you're about to give me _way_ more credit than that, little man."

They both turned to stare open-mouthed as the smoke cleared away to reveal me still standing, my right hand out in front of me, clenched in a fist. Opening it, I let the pieces of the explosive fall down and smirked.

"If _that_ was your best shot, Admiral, I must say that you should be embarrassed. I've been hit by Navy fire stronger than that."

The big man took a step back, his face pale. "H-How did you survive that?"

Kuro looked just as pale, but, instead of retreating, he leaned forward, his claw-swords extending with his fingers. "It's impossible!"

His feet began blurring as he performed a Stealth Walk, then I reached behind me and grabbed him around the throat, his swords bouncing off my coat harmlessly. Smiling grimly, I shook my head regretfully.

"You three should have just let the girl go."

With that, I hefted him up and over my shoulder, flinging him into Krieg and sending the two of them back into the building. The house shattered and collapsed in on them, then I pulled out my shotgun and held it ready. As the two of them crawled out of the rubble, coughing from the dust, I fired three bursts at Krieg, denting his armor pretty badly before replacing the weapon on my back and smiling at them.

"I suppose you two are a waste of good lead. I don't know why I just wasted those rounds, but..." I pretended to have a revelation, my eyes going wide. "Oh! I know!"

My expression and voice dropped to sub-arctic temperatures. "It's because you took a friend of mine. I want to hit you with as much as I can."

Krieg straightened up, a smirk on his face. "Hah! Your shots had no effect on me!" Bringing his sword-arm up, he smirked wider. "And now-"

My fist in his jaw shut him up. Leaping up as he flew into the air, I ax-kicked him back to earth, where he slammed into the ground with a loud 'BOOM'. Kuro attempted to slip around behind me, leaping into the air behind me and slashing with his claws, but all he got for his trouble was the view of my afterimage blurring away as I materialized behind him.

"You're slow, Kuro. Quit pussyfooting around and give me your best shot already!" I smashed a fist into his back, sending him into the side of a building. As I landed in a crouch, I smirked. "Krieg wants to, I'm sure."

The man in question was, slightly surprisingly, back on his feet; with a bellow, he charged me, his cannon-arm coming up and unleashing a barrage of missiles at me while he readied his sword-arm. I brushed each missile aside, sending them careening into the buildings around me, where they exploded violently, clouds of flame and smoke ripping through the town. As Krieg ran out of ammunition, he leaped up, his sword coming over his head and down toward my head. Smiling, I crouched down, focusing on my fist, where a small amount of power began churning. As his sword approached my skull, I leaped up, my fist shooting up and shattering his sword before crushing his skull.

As his body hit the ground, I landed on a nearby wall, the roof that had once sat on top of it now lying in pieces around me; a breeze blew against my cheek and I smirked before spinning around and snap-kicking Kuro across the street and into a building again.

As he struggled to get to his feet, his glasses shattered and strewn everywhere, I smiled. "Little kitty got whipped, huh? What a surprise; you used to be a smart man, Kuro. What happened? How did you become such an idiot in the company of idiots?"

He spat and got to his feet, his eyes blazing. "Silence! Whatever I may be, I am not going to be defeated by a simpleton like your-_hurk_!"

I smiled from his side as he collapsed, my knife sliding out of his throat and back into its sheath after I flicked the blood off of it. "Simpleton, shmimpleton, as my captain would probably say. At least _I'm_ still alive."

With that, I strode away toward the sound of explosions that were coming from where Aliza had last been sighted, a smirk on my face. Nothing like ending the lives of powerful opponents to get the blood running; too bad they hadn't been anything more than single-faceted fighters. Power for Krieg, speed and stealth for Kuro.

It was like fighting a Siren; just beat them once at their own game and they could no longer concentrate on what they were doing. It was as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

As I walked away from the battlefield, the stray thought ran through my head. _Unless, of course, the candy is owned by Aliza; at that point, it's more like easy as getting impaled._

It made me smirk.

-Los'krios del nos-

It took me only moments to reach where Aliza, Wellingtoes and Licone were; staring down at them from inside the steeple, I felt hatred growing in my soul. The little man had his arms folded, a smug grin on his face as Aliza faced down Licone, both girls breathing heavily from the battle that had been going on already. Two houses were shattered, while another was teetering and a fourth was stuck full of candy canes and punctured with hard candies.

"So, _captain_, are you ready to give up yet!" Wellingtoes' voice was as smug as his blasted face. "As you can see, your little friend is completely under my control."

Aliza spat. "Freak! Why'd ya need to do this ta Licky 'n Nicky?!"

He smiled condescendingly. "Why, to see if I could make two minds become one, of course!"

Aliza's eyes widened, while I felt a shiver run down my spine. He was messing around with the human mind; not even Medusa had felt comfortable venturing into the section of twisted science.

"This girl was my first subject; when she was born, I used this device," he tapped the helmet-thing on his head, "to implant a mind-seed, as I call them, into her brain, which I had chosen from many at birth because of a certain set of specifications I had arrived at from experimentation with other subjects. Then, when she was of a ripe age, I hired mercenaries to kill her family and friends in front of her, creating the perfect trauma for the mind to emerge. Because it was a mind formed of fear, it, of course, became a violent one, bent only on killing and protecting the other mind from feeling pain, because it, too, would also feel that pain and would do anything to stop it."

"Once that was done, I simply had to wait; due to the other mind's violent nature, she would naturally become a deviant from the law, who would dispatch the Navy to fetch her. It became merely a matter of timing then to send a group of pirates under my control after her. You disposed of them all, of course, and she fell in with you for a time, but then she came back to me." He smiled merrily, then blinked as a moan came from Aliza, who was standing limp, her eyes spinning and drool coming from her mouth.

"Too... Many... Words..."

He snarled and pointed. "Fine, if I am so boring; NICONE! DESTROY HER!"

_Nicone_?!

As she snapped her feet into a kick at Aliza, I flashed down, my fist pounding into the skull of my target like a hammer. She froze, then collapsed, and Aliza looked at where Wellingtoes was falling beneath my fist, his teeth shattered, and smiled.

"Good work, Argy! Ya got him!"

I stood over him, my rage billowing like my coat, then he looked up at me and smiled toothlessly.

"You're too late for your friends, little man... Even as I forced them to fight your pathetic little captain, I was performing the final steps to form the final creature, Nicone!" Gesturing at where the girl lay on the ground, he coughed and laughed, the pieces of his helmet falling off his face.

"I will probably go to prison, but I will still devise a new helmet and, using the success from this experiment, I will construct a new creature, perfect and powerful, and use it to destroy the world!"

"No, you won't." As he looked confusedly up at me, I flexed my fist. "Don't you remember what I said last night about the survival rate on this island?"

His eyes widened, then I slammed my fist down, Aliza's horrified scream filling my ears.


	14. Wrath of a Sea Devil

BlueRyuu- As ever, astute is ya. No, not comparing her to a baby, but, rather, comparing the candy to the weapon. And if you can figure that one out, you're better than me at this game.

AAAAHH! NO MORE TERRIFYINGLY HORRIBLE REVIEWTH, PWEATHE!

...

And hah on you. That sketch was only concept art, you still ain't got the finished product. -taps a disc with a picture of Luffy in seven places at once while Aliza drops a meteor-sized lemon drop on the planet, then snaps his fingers and the disc explodes- Skillz.

And I'll fill my own plotholes in when I feel like it, got it?!

Anyway, ONWARD TO DEMENTIA!

-Del'freeth no car-

I turned my head as my fist sank into the ground, my eyes widening as I saw Aliza's limp form flying across the street and into a building, Licone's foot slowly withdrawing from the kick she had just landed. As she turned to me, I felt my heart sink; blood-red eyes smirked back at me, no sign of either the passionate Licone or the gentler Nicole inside them.

"Surprised, doofus?" She flexed one arm as she turned to face me; I straightened up myself, sadness permeating my being. "You shouldn't be; you shoulda known what woulda happened if those two ever got combined." At my continued silence, she frowned. "Wow, you're denser than I thought." She stretched happily. "Welp, I feel _great_! Smarts and strengths, whodathunkit?"

"Shaddap!"

We both looked in surprise to where Aliza was stomping out from the rubble of the building, her body covered in her sugar armor. Her fists clenched tightly, she set herself in a fighting stance, one fist out and one by her chest.

"You think you're the winner?! You ain't our friends; so we gotta beat _you_ to get 'em back!" With that, she shot forward, her speed surprising even me and completely flooring the girl, as did the uppercut she slammed into this Nicone girl.

Then I felt something approaching; two people, one friendly, one not. Spinning, I was just in time to take a punch of considerable power in my stomach; Wellingtoes' demonic visage was the last thing I saw before I slammed into three buildings before crashing into a fourth and having it collapse on top of me.

I ground my teeth together. Idiotic of me to let my guard down.

Growling, I focused my gaze over to where Wellingtoes was standing arrogantly as I began digging myself out.

"Hahaha! So much for that one!"

Aliza was staring back at where I had been flung, her expression horrified. "ARGY!"

"Don't worry about him." Shasta spun her blood-spattered blades around, then flicked the blood off them and smirked at the pair in front of her. "We've got our own battle here."

Wellingtoes laughed mockingly as Nicone moved toward the pair. "Indeed! Not only must you defeat my greatest creation, but you also have to defeat a Sea Devil!"

I felt a jolt run through my system as all three turned to face him, Nicone even giving him an arch look.

"That's right!" He clenched his fist and smiled wickedly. "I ate the Devil-Devil Fruit, which has given me the powers of a Sea Devil!"

My blood began boiling as Nicone shrugged and turned back to the pair in front of her. "Whatever."

Aliza shook her head as she faced down Nicone. Then, in a move that shocked all of us to the core, she lowered her hands and straightened up, letting her armor dissolve. "I ain't gonna fight ya, Licky and Nicky. I know you're stuck somewhere and this girl's gotcha cornered; maybe if I stop hittin' at ya, she won't be able ta keep ya stuck."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise, then Shasta reluctantly lowered her blades. "I suppose if your orders were good enough for the Blind Gunman, then they're good enough for me." I watched as she also muttered, "if I get killed, I am going to murder him in his sleep..." She then proceeded to mutter some highly irregular anatomical replacements that caused me to thank the fates that she would never be strong enough to implement them. Especially that one involving my nose and both my feet.

Wellingtoes laughed as Nicone began walking toward the pair, then she stopped and he ceased as she trembled. Then, out of nowhere, she raised her head to the sky and screamed before turning and running toward him, leaping up and dropping a storm of feet at him.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!"

Wellingtoes grimaced, then the ground beneath them shattered and a cloud of debris shot into the air. There were eighty-seven impacts that I could see, then Nicone's limp body flew out of the cloud and she skidded across the ground until she ground to a stop at Aliza's feet. My captain looked down at her, then she screamed in rage and charged Wellingtoes, who merely smiled and flashed toward her. I opened my mouth to roar, but she was already flying back, landing with a thud next to Nicone.

Shasta grimaced and began spinning her swords. "I swear, this crew is more trouble than it's worth."

Wellingtoes laughed. "Do you understand, little woman? This is Sea Devil combat, something you cannot keep up with! No one can! Not your precious Blind Gunfighter, not your friend, not your captain, not you!"

She spat. "First off, that girl isn't my friend." The man blinked in surprise. "The only reason I'm fighting to get her back is because it's what my captain wishes. If I am the honorable person I believe myself to be, that is good enough for me."

Wellingtoes smiled and raised one hand, energy crackling in his grasp before he aimed it at her. "Too bad; you might have been a halfway-decent subordinate if you had chosen life!"

Shasta's eyes went wide as he fired the blast, then I spoke in their ears, projecting the soundwaves with my eyes as I ripped the blindfold off, my fury at a peak not felt by me in a while.

"Enough."

The ground in front of Shasta bulged, then shot straight up, creating a wall between her and the blast at the same time as the ground she was on snapped sideways, causing her to fall down. The attack destroyed the wall created, then continued on over her and ripped through the already-mangled town like a shark's fin through water.

Both combatants looked shocked, then I spoke again.

"So, you believe yourself a Sea Devil, do you?" They both snapped around to stare at where I was emerging from the shadows of the final destroyed building, my blindfold in my hand and my hat brim over my eyes. "You think you know what Sea Devil combat is, do you?"

Wellingtoes laughed insanely. "Of course I do, fool! I am one, after all!" His eyes began glowing and he raised one hand in front of him, the other behind him, and I felt my body begin moving sluggishly. "Behold the might of my Gorgon Stare!"

I couldn't help it; I threw my head back and began laughing at him. He growled and was about to say something, but I interrupted him.

"_That_ is your Gorgon Stare?!" I laughed again, then smiled at him from beneath my hat brim as I raised my head, revealing my closed eyes. "Allow me to illuminate the truth of the matter to you."

With that, I snapped my own golden eyes open, causing the pair to gasp. Then the sheer force of my gaze struck, causing the building around me to explode outward, the power of my all-seeing gaze shattering the stones as if they were made of wet sand. The air around me began churning, the rage in my soul reflected in the ferocity of the gale that whipped to life around me. As I stared at Wellingtoes, I could feel his own, undeveloped gaze attempting to fight mine back and I smiled thinly.

"Sea Devil Technique; Weight of the Impossible."

The air particles around Wellingtoes began pressing downward even as I multiplied his body weight, causing him to stagger before going to one knee, his face contorting with rage as he fought back; his will refused to give in. Smiling a little wider, I brought my blindfold up and closed my eyes, releasing him to straighten up with a gasp as I tied the blindfold back on.

"Sea Devil Technique; Pain of the Octagon."

I flashed in front of him, my knee slamming into his chest and sending him flying back. Flashing again, I appeared behind him and side-kicked him to the side, continuing the flash-and-strike pattern and speeding it up until the sheer speed created the image of an eight-sided pattern with four lines running from corner to corner, the Octagon.

I kept it up until I felt a slight strain, then I dropped an ax kick on his head, slamming his body into the ground before I leaped up into the air, bringing my fist back and gathering energy in it.

"Sea Devil Technique; GORGON FIST!"

Shasta blurred away, fear on her face, then I fell down on Wellingtoes and sent the true force of the Gorgon's hatred into him, pulverizing him and grinding his bones to powder as he screamed one last time; the attack continued down, splitting the island in half and sending them in opposite directions. Looking down at where Wellingtoes had once stood, I clenched my fists together.

"And _that_ is the truth of the matter. A false Sea Devil cannot defeat a true one."

I heard a scream and blinked, then turned to the side to see Shasta hauling both Nicone and Aliza, leaping from building to building to avoid getting sucked into a massive crack in the island. Digging my heels in, I flashed over to her and grabbed all three before flashing away again, arriving near the port and skidding to a stop. Glancing around, I couldn't see any sign of the _Doom_ and felt one corner of my mouth turn downward.

"No ship."

I felt something tickle the back of my head and turned to see Shasta rubbing her hand in pain, a glare pointed at me.

"You idiot! Grab the nearest ship and let's get out of here!"

Smirking, I scanned the gathered ships before pulling my blindfold off, feeling the ground beneath me begin tilting.

"This is gonna be tight."

With that, I snapped my eyes open and began gathering treasure, piling it into the largest ship I could see as I also prepared that craft for movement. Shasta screamed something, then the land I was standing on shattered and I leaped, my feet digging into the water before the liquid quite figured out what was going on and jerked away from my. Smirking, I ran toward the ship, leaping onto it as the last of the treasure streamed into the hold through the viewports; the long, broad craft then shot forward on a wave created by the sinking of the island into the sea.

As we shot into the open sea, I closed my eyes and tied my blindfold back on, then Aliza was beside me, screaming wildly and whooping as we rode the wave.

"YEEEAAAAHAAAAAH! THIS IS AAAWWEEESSSOOOOMMME!"

I smirked, then Shasta appeared on Aliza's other side, her suspicious gaze never leaving me. Smiling, I shrugged.

"What can I say? The Blind Gunfighter and Gargoyle are, indeed, one and the same." Lowering my head, I smiled softly at the bow of the craft, which was shaped like a woman with a child in her arms. "Nothing else can be said."

"YEAH, SOMETHING ELSE CAN BE SAID!" Aliza pumped her fist in the air and whooped. "WE'RE THE STRONGEST CREW IN THE WORLD!"

I chuckled, then a moan drew our attention and I turned to see Nicone slowly getting to her feet, her head down and her eyes out of sight.

"Wh-why?"

Aliza cocked her head at her as I felt my own eyebrows go up. "Why what, Nicky?"

"Why did..." She looked up at us, revealing the tears streaming down her confused expression. "WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?! I NEED TO DIE!"

I felt my jaw slacken, then Aliza voiced the question in my head. "Uh, why do you need to die?"

"BECAUSE I'M AN ABOMINATION!" She raised her hands and stared at them, her tears dropping like rain on the deck below here. "I... I came about only because of the deaths of two others! I'm a monster!" She shook her head, sending tears flying, then she charged us furiously. "DEATH IS THE ONLY OPTION LEFT FOR ME!"

I flashed forward, catching her foot as she pulled back for a kick and twisting so that she hit the ground. She slapped her hands against the deck and spun to perform another kick, then I punched her in the stomach and she curled up in a ball as Aliza trotted over to her and sat down cross-legged next to her.

"Well, Nicky, Argy's a monster, too!" She beamed up at me, while I just nodded. "You shoulda seen him come outta the building and cream Toadsy! It was AWESOME!" She nodded excitedly. "And his eyes glow cool, too! C'mon, Argy, show her!"

I shook my head, then sat down next to Nicone, on the side opposite Aliza, and sighed. "Listen, Nicone. You have _two_ options available to you at this point in time." She looked up at me in surprise, tear-streaked cheeks glistening with the moisture, and I sighed. "You can die, of course, or you can live. Same as the rest of us." Folding my hands, I put them behind my head as the ship rocked again and a rumbling began in the distance. "If you die, that's the end of it."

Aliza piped up. "If you live, though, you gotta be my navigator!" She frowned. "Or third mate. Depends. Are you still smart?"

Nicone nodded through her tears and sat up, drying her eyes with her hand. "Y-Yeah, I can still navigate, I think."

"Good." I yawned loudly, then closed my eyes. "Then navigate your way to the nearest food dispenser. I'm hungry."

It was Aliza's turn for the eyes-full-of-tears as she whimpered. "I just remembered; I'm still hungry and I _still_ gotta use the bathroom!"


	15. Tales of the Demons

Kid9535- Well, DUH! Of COURSE it's lame! I'm surprised it took you this long to say anything; why do you think everyone who's heard the name has laughed?! Sheesh.

And no, no pairings. The harem part is pure coincidence; I simply couldn't think of any guys who could have what I wanted in their characters without being homosexual. So there.

Um, your name rant sorta fell flat cuz I gots no idea what you're talking about. And almost all the names in One Piece are lame, if you think about it. Gol D. Roger?! Zoro the Swordsman?! Sheesh. And what about Alabasta?! Alabaster if said in a Southern accent, duh! Jeeze, peeps, get your naming conventions correct before you send your fans after me!

Muahaha.

And trust me; I have drowned numerous times in Author Depression. I've discovered that the best way to overcome it is to press on against your better judgement; it's why I'm still writing this story. Kekeke.

By the way, I'm glad you decided to stop lurking; I love you guys. XD

BlueRyuu- To the Might and Awesome Dragon of Blueness, greetings from Mars.

And Aliza's candy DOES come out weaponized unless she specifically wants to eat it; pure habit. Hehehe.

Lemony-sweet! XD

By the way, did you send me a PM about chapter 516 and how it was ruining my idea? I am weirded out by it...

Anyway...

-Lev no zev-

As we sailed on toward whatever island Nicone had designated for our next stop, we lounged around in one of the spare cabins, griping about the lack of furniture in the treasure hold and coming to a group decision to purchase some at the next stop with some of the treasure we had. Once that was done, we fell silent for a moment, then Aliza perked up as Nicone came in from lashing down the wheel to keep us on course.

"I know! Let's tell everyone a little about ourselves!"

Shasta groaned, while Nicone snorted and I just remained silent.

"_Right_," Nicone said dryly. "Hi, I'm Nicone, the bastard offspring of a dual personality girl and a psychopathic scientist, my mommy and daddy were butchered years ago, et cetera."

A drop of sweat formed on the back of Aliza's head, then she shook her head and glared severely at Nicone.

"Well, Nicky, _thank_ you for such a wonderful tale. Party pooper." She tossed her head, sending her candy-cane hair from one shoulder to the other, and turned to Shasta. "Anyway, your turn, Sassy!"

Shasta seemed about to make a smart remark, then she abruptly shrugged and sat down cross-legged on the deck.

"My name is Shastavera ne Cor'dell," I felt a chill run down my spine at her name, but I ignored it as she continued, "and I was born on the island of Qel'darnas." Her gaze flickered toward me, then she continued forward, her swords propping her up off the floor. "My mother was an expert in the art of Death Dancing, while my father was a master swordsman." Shrugging, she offered up a half-smile. "You can see how I got my fighting style, no?"

I chuckled as Aliza looked curiously at Shasta. "Death Dance. The art of mesmerizing your opponents with your body movement, allowing you to move close enough to deliver a death blow to one of their major body components, such as the spine or skull."

She smiled thinly at me. "Yes. We were part of an elite fighting unit that defended our island from attackers; because we were so close to Sea Demon territory, we had to be extra careful about it."

"I remember the reputation of the Qel'darnians." I chuckled low in my throat. "Their soldiers were said to have a strength ratio of three-for-one against the Warriors of Gorgon."

Nicone raised an eyebrow at me. "Uh, that's about normal for most elite units. What's so special about that?"

Shasta smiled grimly. "The Warriors of Gorgon could destroy islands with a single blow and were considered some of the most powerful beings ever known. I think the comparison of the two groups is very complimentary to my people."

I looked at her and spoke low. "It's too bad they were destroyed."

Aliza gasped and looked over at Shasta, who was looking down at the deck with bitterness in her expression. "Yeah, it is. What makes it worse is they were destroyed by one of our own." I could feel her tensing as she looked down even further, hiding her eyes behind her hair as she spoke again. "My father."

Nicone and Aliza's jaws dropped, sheer shock freezing their expressions. I felt my own cheek twitch, despite the fact I had already known that, then I spoke.

"Medusa was highly relieved when she heard that one of her more powerful possible rivals had been destroyed, but there were few in her armies that were happy about the circumstances. I myself had wished to test out their claims of strength and was not very happy to hear that they'd been butchered in their sleep by one of their own." Leaning back in my chair, I tipped it up against the wall and folded my arms, my hat brim over my eyes. "I did a little investigating on my own and discovered that the man who had done it, one Mutevera Cor'dell, had taken off to challenge Leviathan in the mistaken belief that defeating the Devil of Logia would make him the most powerful man in the world. His trail ended at a dissected, mutilated corpse propped up on a pole in front of Leviathan's stronghold, Derbyshire."

Shasta's shoulders shook once, then she looked up, avoiding our eyes, and continued with a choking voice. "I swore then and there to redeem my family's name and my people's honor with my own abilities. I decided to become the best swordswoman in the world; once I was, no one would ever question the power of the Qel'darnians or the honor of the Cor'dells!"

I chuckled, then Aliza leaped across the room with a sobbing wail and wrapped Shasta up in a hug, crying her eyes out. "AHH! YOU'VE HAD IT SO HAAARRRD, SASSY! I'M SORRY FOR YOUUU!"

Shasta frowned in exasperation and attempted to pry the clingy captain off with her arms. "Let... Go... Of... Me!"

I smirked. "What about you, Captain? What sort of story do you have?"

She frowned thoughtfully and promptly released Shasta, sitting down cross-legged on the floor and planting her chin on her fists. "Umm... Uhh..." She suddenly blinked and shot straight up, her fists clenched and a valiant expression on her face. "My name is Aliza Alicia Alamonium! I was born on Luki Island, my mommy dead in childbirth and my daddy having left long before! I was raised by my granny and grampy Alamonium until I was ten, when I ate the Sweet-Sweet Fruit and became a Sugar Babe!" I almost chuckled at that, while Nicone out-and-out laughed and even Shasta smirked. "Stop laughing! After that, I left the island to become a great pirate to make lotsa money for Granny and Grampy so they won't hafta work forever! But I got caught by some scummy Marines and was locked up until some kid with a straw hat busted me loose and I met up with Argy and that's the end of it!"

She sat down, out of breath from having said that all at once, and I smirked. "Well, what interesting lives you all lead."

Shasta raised an eyebrow at me. "Now it's your turn, O great Gargoyle. I'm curious as to how one of the Warriors of Gorgon came to be in a pirate crew."

Aliza looked at me curiously. "What's a Gorgon?"

I smirked and tilted my hat back on my head. "Well, a Warrior of Gorgon is what they used to call the elite fighters of the Gorgon Armies. A _Gorgon_ is a servant of the Gorgon Queen, Medusa the All-Seeing."

Nicone frowned thoughtfully. "Umm, I'm lost already. Gorgon Armies?"

I chuckled and glanced at Shasta. "I do not believe that they've heard of the Sea Devil Wars, either."

She sighed and laid down on her side, making herself comfortable. "Let's hear it."

Smiling, I leaned back in my seat and folded my hands behind my head.

-Lov'del du'kar zan-

I was born on an island far away, where a great race of warriors lived. We and our battle partners, the Death Ravens, conquered the nearby islands and made an empire for ourselves, from which we warred with several other island empires for many years. Our empire became known as the source of the most powerful warriors in the region and the deadliest fighters anywhere.

That might be what attracted the attention of Medusa, one of the three Sea Devils. The Sea Devils are exactly what the name says, the devils of the sea; it is they who created the Sea Devil Fruits and they who ensure that the fruits maintain their power. Despite their similarities, however, it was their differences that ensured that they began warring and conquering armies to fight with them.

It is that warring that attracted Medusa to our island of warriors and that warring which ensured that she had the skill and experience necessary to be able to conquer us, although with much difficulty. Once we were taken, she began utilizing the unique abilities of our human-raven combat duos and began conquering large tracts of the sea. Recognizing that we were the source of her power, the other two Sea Devils, in one of the random acts that occurred during the many, many years of war in that area, combined forces long enough to launch an all-out assault on our homeland, completely wiping it off the face of the earth.

By the time those few of us left were able to make it back, there was nothing left to save.

My comrades and I went rogue for a bit at that point, our quest for vengeance causing us to directly assault the two Sea Devils while they were enjoying a victory celebration in a neutral location. We managed to knock them back, but their forces were too many and they gained enough of a respite to launch a counterattack of their own. When it was all said and done, the island was gone, my comrades were all dead and I was only saved by my seniority in rank to the others, which meant I had earned the Gorgon Eyes.

The Gorgon Eyes were the source of Medusa's power; with them, she could see anything, anytime, anywhere and could control what she saw. Among her followers, I am the only one who was given all of the abilities of the Eyes. That is why I wear my blindfold; if, for some reason, I ever lose my temper, I usually end up tearing everything around me to pieces. That, for obvious reasons, is a pain to try and fix later.

Anyway, after I returned to her services and after many years of loyally serving her and even becoming her consort, I eventually discerned that she was becoming senile and paranoid, leading her to perform more and more unfocused activities that threatened everything in the world. Deciding that the Sea Devil Wars must end, I developed a plan and initiated it.

The details are something few people suspect and even fewer actually know, for reasons which only I know. Suffice to say, in the end I destroyed all three Sea Devils, by hook or by crook, and obliterated their power from the world, followed by a full-scale assault on all of the remaining forces that hadn't already struck out on their own. When it was over, Reza and I set out on a raft, determined to avoid war forever.

-Li kel zan-

Shasta sighed irritably as I finished. "Despite all the outlandish explanations you've just given us, you _still_ haven't explained why you're part of a pirate crew."

I shrugged as Nicone and Aliza stared open-mouthed in awe at me. "I just felt like it."

The woman growled and slapped her forehead. "I think I'm insane."

At that second, something hit the ship with a loud _boom_; the entire craft rocked to one side as I shot out of my seat, my intense gaze confirming what the rest of my senses had already figured out; that had been a near-miss by a cannon.

"ATTENTION, UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL! YOU ARE SAILING INTO RESTRICTED WATERS! CEASE ALL MOVEMENT AND PREPARE FOR BOARDING!"

"Like heck!" Aliza bolted out of the room, followed by myself and Nicone, Shasta coming up after she had strapped her swords on. As we left the confines of the lower decks and emerged into the late-evening air, we found ourselves surrounded by a fleet of seven Navy battleships, with floodlights focused on us and cannons focused on our ship. Smiling, I looked down at Aliza, whose eyes were shadowed by her hair.

"So, Captain, how shall we respond?"

Inhaling deeply, she exploded, "WE ARE THE PIRATES OF DOOM! ZEEZE ALL SHOUTING AND PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED!"

I felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of my head and leaned over toward her. "Um, Captain, it's _cease_ all movement."

She sent a glare at me. "I'm no good with big words, okay?!"

"SINCE YOU ARE PIRATES AND HAVE DECIDED ON THIS COURSE OF ACTION," the man with the loudspeaker shouted at us from one of the ships, "PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED!"

With that, all of the cannons facing us fired, sending a swarm of cannonballs at us. Smirking, Aliza snapped her fingers.

"Get 'em, Argy."

I felt my eyes widen slightly, then shrugged. Orders were orders. Digging my heels in, I flashed forward.

The first set of cannonballs were on a wonderful trajectory, obviously from marksmen; they were aimed at the masts, meaning it only required a slight alteration in flight path to send them shooting toward their own ships on the other side. Flashing to the next group of cannonballs, I discovered that they had been fired directly at the center of the ship, meaning I had no choice but to waste precious time reflecting them back at the ship that had fired them. Once that was accomplished, I flashed to the next group, reflecting those, as well; it was that way the whole way around, save for the cannonballs of the ship I had redirected the first cannonballs at. _Those_ cannonballs I sent flying in all directions before moving on.

Once I was finished, I returned to Captain Aliza's side, my momentum creating a counter-current of air that caused her hair, which had started blowing from my departure speed, to blow in the other direction briefly.

"Done, my Captain."

With that, the circle of battleships around us exploded spectacularly, fire ripping through the ships as their crews were taken completely by surprise. The lone battleship that escaped the fire began turning as panicked shouts echoed across the water; smirking, Aliza pointed at the ship.

"My turn. SWEET SWEET WARHEADS!"

Large hard candies began popping into existence and shooting toward the retreating ship, blasting it to pieces and splitting it in two. Smirking as we continued sailing sedately through the sinking ships, I strode to the side and smiled down at the marines and sailors as they clung to jetsam to stay afloat.

"Congratulations! You are the second fleet that has had the glory of being destroyed by the Pirates of Doom and the first Navy fleet to be done in by us!"

There was a spattering of curses directed at us, then I turned away and strode back beside my captain, who was smirking cockily at the flattened fleet around us. Shasta stepped up beside me, her voice dry.

"Well, I guess that settles whether or not you really are a demon, Gargoyle. Now if only I could figure out what you're doing here, I'll be content."

Glowering at her, I snorted. "I've already told you, I feel like doing this."

"Whatever." Turning away, she smirked at me smugly. "I'll believe it when I see it."

I almost punched her, but then a voice from a hundred years before wove itself through the air.

"Well, well, well, so the Destroyer is alive? How interesting; I haven't seen you in some time, Commander." Snapping my gaze up, I felt my eyes widen as I spotted the winged female standing on top of the mast, the huge sword on her back not appearing to give her any trouble at all as she smirked down at us. "I must admit, when the World Government contacted us in a tizzy, I expected something a little less dangerous, like the revival of Pluton or the recreation of the Poneglyphs. I never even dreamed it would be the former commander of the Gorgon armies."

Slowly straightening up, I drew my arms inside my coat, making it rest on my shoulders alone as I stared up at her. "Lyss'arna, Wing Commander of the Siren Guard. It's an honor to have you grace my presence."

The woman that had been called the most bloodthirsty of a group of murderers smiled toothily down at me. "You know me; I'm honored. But do you also know my fellows, I wonder? Or rather, remember?"

Three more figures appeared next to her, their hands wrapped around the massive weapons on their backs, and I felt my blood slowly begin freezing as I identified them all. "Diamondcutter of the Merman Corps, Lif'sara of the Sirens," my eyes widened even further as I recognized the massive war hammer on the back of the third cloaked figure, "and Nazar of the Warriors of Gorgon."

The latter smirked as she removed her hood, her Gorgon Eyes glowing in the night as the fires were slowly left behind us. "Been awhile, _Commander_. I'm surprised you remember those you betrayed so thoroughly."

Slowly reaching back, I wrapped my own hand around Yamakaze's shaft as I glared at them from beneath my hat brim. Before I could reply, however, Aliza stepped forward and growled at them.

"Whodoya think you are! This is _my_ ship, and _nobody_ comes on unless _I_ say so!"

"Shut up and let the adults talk, girly." Lyss'arna's voice was as murderous as the smile on her face. "I'd love to kill you all and burn your corpses, but we're only here for him." She pointed at me, a smirk on her face as she continued, "Without him, the Government has decided that the rest of you are non-threatening."

Shasta flashed forward, her swords shining in the moonlight as she leaped up; grunting, I flashed past her and placed myself between her and them, taking her slashes without pain or injury as I stared down the four, who had been about to move.

"Shasta, you will stay out of this fight and protect Aliza and Nicone. If you try to fight them, you'll die."

She grabbed one of my arms and vaulted over me, her expression calm. "If I don't fight that swordswoman after he has so blatantly challenged my captain, I'll live in shame." Smirking, she crossed her arms in front of her as she fell toward her target. "Dance of the-"

She died as Lyss'arna tore her throat out, never once removing her blade from its sheath.

Aliza screamed in anguish, Nicone screamed in horror and I screamed in rage.


	16. Monster Battle

BlueRyuu- Still my favoritest reviewer evUR. Mwahaha! XD

Anyway. Yes, Shasta be dead. But that's not the only news today; if I said anything, though, it would spoil the terrible surprise. More will be explained of Argyle's past, but right now... Mortal combat, Gargoyle style. And no, he is definitely NOT the last of the Sea Devil armies left alive; remember that clause I emplaced previously? He destroyed all those that _had not left already_? Muahaha.

And then there're the Sea Gods, the Sea Titans and the new Sea Devils... Woof. And maybe... Mortality? o.O

We shall see in future episodes, my dearies. For now, a short note...

P.S. Copyright infringement? They're doing it all; I haven't seen past Ep. 241. Mwahaha.

-Le'kras del nortem-

As Shasta's body tumbled down to the deck, Aliza's and Nicone's screams still fresh in my ears, I roared and flashed forward, slamming a fist into the Siren's side and sending her plowing into the sea; her three companions flashed away as I turned on them, my fists creating a ripple of air that briefly counteracted the breeze that had been pushing us onward.

"You're far more emotional now than you once were, _commander_." Nazar's voice was mocking, bitter; turning, I could see the four of them standing on the water below, the sea slowly fleeing their presence and creating a crater around them. "You should know better than ta take on other demons with that sort of attitude."

She was right. Inhaling deeply, I slowly exhaled before turning to face them completely and reaching up, loosening my blindfold and lowering it as my eyes remained closed.

"You are correct, as you usually are, Nazar." She blinked, then I flashed down to the deck and let my coat fall down, where it covered Shasta's lifeless body and face. Reaching up with my other hand, I undid the fasteners of my weaponry and let them fall to the ground before drawing Yamakaze. As a gale sprang to life around us, I walked to the side and hopped over it, standing facing them as my own crater in the ocean began forming. "However, you are not as correct this time as you should be. I am not the only one who has changed in the years since I wiped out the armies of the Sea Devils."

The usually silent Diamondcutter looked up, his gray-green skin glistening in the spray generated by the retreating ocean. "You betrayed the Sea Devil you served and betrayed those you fought with; what is she wrong about?"

Bringing Yamakaze back, I lowered myself into a fighting stance and smiled thinly. "You should have known better than to take me on, whether or not I've weakened any; by Yamakaze's edge did our former comrades die, and by its edge will you perish; beyond that, you killed a friend of mine, making you my mortal enemies."

Nazar shrugged; halfway through, Lif'sara the Wind Dancer flashed forward, her scythe-shaped sword, Kagedo, lancing toward me, dark shadows reaching for me. Nazar followed her, her own weapon, Hayamado the war hammer, flashing toward me, while Diamondcutter dove into the ocean, creating a tunnel under the water before slicing toward me with his dual-bladed sword, Kazebushi. Lyss'arna, on the other hand, simply drew her massive broadsword and began spinning it, the tip of Raikaze beginning to glow as she spun it faster and faster through her fingers before stabbing it toward me and unleashing a bolt of lightning that was massive enough to rip a furrow in the ocean itself as it shot toward me.

As the four attacks converged on me, I opened my eyes and swung Yamakaze, screaming a war cry.

A gale blasted Lif'sara back, blowing her blade's attack away and sending her skidding across the water; the same gale smashed Hayamado back, almost knocking it from Nazar's hands as she struggled to fight back against the wind with her Gorgon Stare. At the same time, a mountain erupted from beneath my feet, pushing the ship away from me as it slammed into Diamondcutter and sent the merman flying away from me, the same mountain absorbing the lightning assault as easily as a sponge absorbs water.

As I drew Yamakaze back into a ready position and the mountain receded back into the water, I smiled carnivorously at the four wary fighters in front of me.

"If that's the best you can do, you had better leave now before I begin fighting for real."

Lyss'arna growled and the four of them flashed forward, moving at speeds that almost matched my own. Smirking, I let their attacks come within an inch of me before I moved to the side, sidestepping, ducking, jumping over their attacks as easily as a fly avoids the spider that attempts to grab him from the air without a web.

Then I felt something grab at me and turned to see Nazar's eyes focused intently on me; smirking at the challenge, I stopped moving entirely and instead focused my gaze on the area around us.

The ocean seemed to shriek as geysers erupted all around me, some freezing in place as my opponents approached them, forcing them to move from their path lest they be frozen as well, while others burst into steam that I then sent whirling around me. The air around Nazar abruptly began pulling back, slowly sucking the oxygen from her lungs as she furiously attempted to fight back. Before she could do anything, however, I had already beaten her to the punch and had removed what she had to use, from air to atoms to ice shards. As the seconds ticked by and her teammates, still oblivious to her dying moments, still attempted to close with me, I smiled sadly at her suffocating form.

"And so dies another of my comrades."

Lyss'arna finally seemed to realize what was happening to Nazar and barked an order; in response, Lif'sara flashed straight at me, her blade spinning in front of her to deflect any possible attack I might conjure up and fire at her. Instead of her, however, the target of my next strike after Nazar stopped her death throes was the merman. As he leaped over a wave and brought his sword down at me, I simply raised my hand and caught his blade in my grip. The shock of the impact caused the ocean to erupt around us, sending geysers skyward as he continued struggling and attempting to cut me. Lif'sara struck me then, as well, while Lyss'arna, after checking Nazar's body for any sign of life, came raging in at me, her own blade cutting into my vest.

All three of them stared in shock as my body refused to be cut; smiling toothily, I drew Yamakaze back.

"My turn."

Slashing forward faster than they could react, I cut Diamondcutter's body in half, snapping his blades in two and sending his corpse tumbling back as another mountain erupted from the ocean and consumed him and Nazar.

Lyss'arna and Lif'sara backpedaled rapidly, slowly circling me as I kept my eyes staring straight forward while watching them both simultaneously.

"I serve in a pirate crew now, Sirens; you would have been better advised to strike me while I was distracted by a pillaging."

The two of them sank into low stances, their weapons held over their heads in mirror grips.

"_Zhak'el nor de'ye!_"

As their simultaneous shouts, their bodies rippled, then exploded into their combat forms; Lyss'arna's wings turned black and her limbs became like those of a cat's, long claws replacing the fingers as she hissed at me through a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Lif'sara burst into the air, massive, leathery wings exploding from her back and scales sliding out of her skin as her face lengthened into that of a dragon's. Smiling, I brandished Yamakaze at them.

"Lyss'arna of the Sphinx and Lif'sara the Wind Dancer, it is an honor for you to grace me with your true forms." Holding Yamakaze straight out in front of me, the shaft horizontal with the waves, I let my smile reveal some of the predator within. "How sad that it shall be the last time either of you do so."

They howled and shot forward, their blows tripled in strength and in speed; unfortunately for them, I was now warmed up.

I spun Yamakaze around, deflecting their blows easily until Lyss'arna flashed around behind me and tried to stab me from the rear; digging in my heels, I flashed away with so much speed that the ocean didn't erupt from the shockwave until a full second after I materialized away from the pair, ripping a furrow from my previous location to my current one and drawing the attention of the pair as my afterimage faded. Spinning, they lunged at me again, then I leaped straight up and rotated until my feet dug into the air above me, slowing me down so I could smile at the pair as they came after me.

"Sea Devil Technique: One Thousand Demons."

I held my hand in front of me, focusing the energy around me radiating from the terror-stricken ocean into the air and causing a second form to materialize, a shadowy copy of me. That form held both hands out to the side and two more forms appeared on either side, then they all held their hands out to the front and rear as I applied pressure to the air and somersaulted away from them, watching as the duo that had been charging me brought their feet around in front of them and extended their wings, coming to an abrupt halt just as the thousandth demon was formed. Two thousand fists were formed and one thousand mouths roared, then every one of the shadow figures shot toward the pair, forcing them to stop watching me as they fought off the thousand figures.

Each figure had one-tenth the power of the original, so it was relatively easy to kill each individual one; it was the effect of one thousand of the things that wore my opponents' defenses down until they had killed the last one. Just as Lif'sara drew her blade back from striking down the last one, I drove Yamakaze's head deep into her, causing her to slacken before dropping into the ocean, where the water consumed her corpse as violently as it had fled her living body.

Lyss'arna spun to face me, snarling as she saw my fist raised above my head. Looking up at her, I pinned her in place with my stare as I drew back my fist.

"Sea Devil Technique: Gorgon _Fist!_"

She screamed in mixed fear and rage, then I leaped at her, my fist shooting toward her with my body trailing behind; with the fury of a shooting star, my attack struck her, lighting up the night sky as if day had come early and causing her body to evaporate as the bolt of energy continued on toward the far horizon, where it would continue going until it either struck land or the sea sucked all energy from it.

At least, that's what _would_ have happened had I been the old me; the new me focused my eyes on it and caused it to abruptly dissipate into a thousand flares that shot into the sky and exploded spectacularly, creating a fireworks display not seen for years.

As the light show dissipated, I turned back toward the ship and slowly descended toward the craft, setting down on the deck to a gaping Nicone and a strangely silent Aliza, Yamakaze resting on one shoulder as I slowly approached my captain and the body she was kneeling beside. As I neared her, she looked up and I was shocked at the look in them, as if she had aged a thousand years. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and drew a sleeve across her eyes.

"The Pirates of Doom are done."


	17. Monstrous Power

BlueRyuu- Hello, favoritest reviewer!

Yes, 'tis horrible to have Shasta perish. But new friends are on the way... No?

And I believe other people are reading; they're just not the reveiwing types or they don't like it or both or maybe they just don't feel like spending compliments or insults today.

Teddy Rosencrantz- Spelled the whole name through correctly on the first try. Lovin' it!

Anyway.

The first thing I thought of when I read your note was, "He must not have liked Star Wars or Superman or Batman or One Piece or Dragonball Z very much". Really. XD Anakin? Luffy/Zoro? Goku?

Seriously, though, I must point out that you simply say what you say because all of the awesome characters you've seen have obviously been side characters. I am a guy that likes going out of the norm, even if it means giving ubers their due.

Beyond that, after your obviously eyebrow-raised criticism, I feel I should point out -in a highly respectful and submissive way- that I have some limited experience in writing prior to this, meaning I am not a newbie; whether or not I am a noob I leave to you to judge. I am not one who generally likes throwing awe-inspiring powerz around with my characters; however, I am also not one given to finishing any story I start. Viewing the two, I decided to skip complete and utter realism in favor of actually finishing a story sometime.

Trust me, I have more plans for this story than uber-man all week long. But, that only comes with patience.

Back ta BlueRyuu, I would like to thank ya for all your dedication and patience with meh. It's way too much fun givin' ya entertainment.

And now, boys, girls and flies on the wall, I present a chapter before another chapter.

-De nor vel-

After I had confirmed that Shasta was dead beyond help and after we had given her a proper sea burial, we stood on the deck facing each other, the five remaining members of the Pirates of Doom. As I reflected on our brief, bloody history together, I had to admit that Aliza had reason to dissolve the group.

Wiping her eyes again, our captain looked up at us miserably. "At th' nex' island, we'll split th' treasure an' sink th' ship."

Nicone shook her head and raised one hand pleadingly. "Wait, wait, why are we splittin' up already?! I barely joined and we're already done?! What about all that talk about treasure and the Grand Line?! Are ya really gonna give that up-"

"IT'S MY FAULT THEY'RE DEAD!" Aliza's scream shut Nicone up like nothing else could; as we both watched, the captain spun around to face away from us and continued in a cracking voice, "I'm th' captain, an' I've let two of my crew die without doin' anythin'. I shoulda kep' Rezzy from fightin' that weird guy. I shoulda kept Sassy down here with me while Argy fought those creepy ladies."

Spinning back again, she revealed a tear-soaked face and clenched fists as she exploded, "AND I'M WEAKER THAN ARGY! HOW CAN I BE THE CAPTAIN IF I'M WEAK?!"

Nicone snapped her hand to the side, waving away Aliza's exclamation. "But yer not weak, Cap! If ya were, you'd be dead! 'Sides, your th' reason I'm still alive and free! I wanted ta kill myself, but you've given me a reason ta live! Don't take that away from me already!"

I sighed, long and low, attracting their attention to me as I stood up and scratched at my eyes where my blindfold was beginning to create itches. "Before we all dissolve into chaos, I think I should point certain things out." Raising my hand, I began ticking my points off on my fingers. "First of all, neither death was your fault, Captain. If you had prevented either of our comrades from fighting, they would have resented you and would have left later anyway; I knew Reza personally, while Shasta had proven herself bound by her concept of honor. Had you attempted to hold them back, they would have gone ahead and fought anyway and would then have returned with feelings of resentment."

"Secondly, you are not weak. If we compare our respective powers, in fact, I would actually be the weaker one if someone was to take away my demon powers. I am, at best, a so-so gunman, while my knife-fighting skills are very bad. Without my demon strength, I would not be able to lift my ax, while my speed would be somewhere between average and decent. You, however, with your powers permanently a part of you, will only continue to gain strength for as long as you live and keep fighting; the mere fact that you have advanced so far this early in your life proves that you are a genius with your powers and experience will only make you insanely powerful."

"Third, you are the captain and I would have it no other way. When I saw you, I was wandering aimlessly, getting everyone I met in trouble in one way or another, no purpose, no future other than to eventually meet with someone stronger than me and die at his or her hands. When I joined your crew, however, I found a purpose, a point to my strength, something I had lost after so many years of serving a master. You wish to create the greatest treasure in the world; having no dream of my own, I will throw every ounce of strength in my being to ensuring that you attain that goal."

"Fourth," I smirked, "it's actually more my fault that they died."

Both girls gaped at me, then Aliza shook her head angrily. "No! You didn't do anything!"

"I joined a pirate crew, ensuring that Reza would eventually run into the pirate that had destroyed his people and would battle him. I saved Shasta from my own blast and therefore ensured she would die by the hands of a swordswoman that was seeking, again, me."

"Which brings up another point; if I had never joined, you would not attract nearly as much attention. Since you have a confirmed former Warrior of Gorgon aboard, however, you will now be a target of every agency aware of the Sea Devils and some organizations that are so far above normal powers that they could be considered deities."

Spreading my hands, I smiled slightly, bitterly. "So if you wish to place the blame, Captain, blame me. If you so desire, I could leave the crew and ensure that no one else will be hunting you in an attempt to get me."

There was a moment of silence, then Aliza's shoulders slumped and she looked down. "No, Argy. No."

I left it at that and sat down cross-legged on the deck, my expression turning to a frown as I felt my temples begin thumping louder than usual. "So. What do we do next captain? Do you still wish to dissolve the Pirates of Doom?"

She opened her mouth to reply, then the throbbing of my temples exploded into full-scale warning bells and I dove forward, reflexively snatching up Nicone and Aliza before flashing away just as thirteen bolts of lightning struck our ship and blew it to smithereens, fire erupting from every conceivable point on the craft and ripping it to pieces.

Growling, I spun to face the oncoming group of beings and felt my heart begin pounding as Nicone grunted under my arm.

"Dammit, can't we get any peace around here?!"

As the beings slowed to a stop in a circle around me, I felt my heart sink as I slowly shook my head. "We're not lucky tonight, Nicone. Just not lucky."

Around us was assembled the six most powerful beings in the world and their respective groups of warriors, as well as two beings that had the feel of sea devils and two normal human beings that still radiated more power than they should, as well as the dragon the humans were riding.

We stared at each other, then I bowed my head to each man, woman and creature present. "Luna, Goddess of the Tide." The long, lithe woman curtsied gravely. "Her personal bodyguard, the Wind Blades; Naya, Laya, Saya, Craya, Vaya, Maya and Wueya." The seven warrior women spread their wings and brandished their swords in a salute as I turned to the huge, bearded man with the lower body of a fish. "Poseidon, God of the Wind." He smiled at me and bowed, his huge trident glowing slightly. "The Trident Watch; Lef'tune of the Lightning, Sal'gel of the Gale and Mar'gei of the Rain." The three fish-bottomed men snapped to attention and spun their tridents as I moved on to the short, burly man with the amused expression. "Surf, God of the Wave."

He snapped off a salute, a grin on his face. "Gnarly ta meetcha, dude."

The two tall, slender women on either side of him giggled and gave each other a high-five. "That's our Boss! Friendly ta everyone!"

I couldn't even bring myself to smile as I nodded at them. "Tina and Arlene, the Wily Sisters."

They pouted and I turned to the three beings with no bodyguards. "Devastator, Titan of Storms." The tall, bearded man with the horned helmet, circular shield and war hammer barely even nodded to acknowledge me. "Obliterator, Titan of Oceans." The merman, his sharklike jaws snapping irritably, snarled at me; ignoring his usual greeting, I turned to the final Titan. "Shelby, Titan of Land."

The little girl giggled as she waved at me. "Hiya, mister! How's biz?"

I shrugged and bowed as I replied. "The usual, mistress." Before she could reply, I turned to the two humans and narrowed my eyes. "Admiral Aokiji and Commander Spandam of the World Government."

The tall, curly-haired man eyed me sadly, while his compatriot glared down at the dragon they were riding on.

"Stop wobbling when you fly, creature! It's hard enough for me to stay on without you continually-YAAAAA!"

He grabbed for a handhold as the dragon bucked under him and I bowed to the long, serpentine creature. "Sha'crel'del'norsz-den'mera'shoi of Cri'no'ma, it is an honor."

The dragon's eyes narrowed at my use of her full name, then I turned to the final two beings, a tall, leanly-muscled man with a tail easily fifty feet long and tipped with pincers and a small woman reading a book. "I apologize, but I do not believe we have been introduced yet."

The woman looked up at me, then returned her gaze to her book as her comrade chuckled deeply, his tail lashing the air.

"What, you don't recognize your fellow Sea Devils, Gargoyle? I am Scorpion and this lovely bookworm," he jerked thumb at the woman, "is Mantis." Smirking at me, he flipped over backwards in the air before pointing at me, his gold watch glistening in the night. "You've had a nice li'l run, eh?"

I felt my expression flatten out as things began making far too much sense; slowly settling down onto the ocean, I brought Aliza up and used that hand to pull my blindfold down carefully, so as to not alarm anyone into doing something rash. Focusing, I looked down and pulled a pillar of earth out of the ground before setting the two mute girls on it and turning to face the group assembled around me.

"I have one question before we begin this conversation; how long have I been a Sea Devil?"

I heard gasps from the girls behind me, then Surf chuckled. "Dude, since you killed yo' boss, y'know?"

Nodding, I looked at each person gathered around me before shrugging. "And what is this about?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Poseidon cleared his throat and spoke. "You are a Sea Devil, Gargoyle of the East Blue; that title, along with its power, carries certain responsibilities with it. The creating of new devil fruits, as harmful as it is to the sea, is critical in maintaining the balance of power so necessary between the Devils, Gods and Titans."

Shelby giggled. "Yeah! And besides, we can't have Sea Devils running around with pirates! It's not fair for the rest of the crews, right? And then we also don't like that you ain't under our control, either."

Admiral Aokiji poked one finger in his nose as he piped in. "The World Government doesn't like having you with pirates; it presents too much of a threat to global peace and balance and all that."

Poseidon nodded, then they turned to me as I grunted in amusement.

"Well, much as everyone may or may not dislike it, I am a part of a pirate crew now. So whether or not I accede to your requests, I must first consult with my captain." Turning to Aliza, I looked her in the eye. "So, Captain? Do you want me to leave the Pirates of Doom?"

She looked down at the ground and chewed her lip for a moment, then looked back up at me and said, in a clear and authoritative voice, "No."

Turning back to the group, I folded my arms and shook my head. "Welp, guess I won't be taking that job. You'll have to deal with having a pirate group strong enough to defeat the Word Government for now."

"That will not happen."

Obliterator's voice was vicious, hateful; turning to look at him, I felt the pressure around me beginning to build up as the ocean began reflecting his wrath.

"You are a Sea Devil! You obey your master, Devastator, and perform like puppets for him!"

Devastator looked down his nose at me, the sky above crackling with electricity. "I hath decreed thy servitude unto me, fool. Bow thy knee to me or bow thy head to mine judgement!"

Shelby sighed, then floated down in front of me, her bright white hair glistening in the spray beginning to kick up from Obliterator's wrath. "Listen, Gargoyle; the World Gov says that, as long as you're not there, your friends ain't a threat to them. If ya just do as the boys are sayin', they're willin' ta give 'em a clean slate."

Aokiji nodded, his finger in his ear now. "We've already got the pardons submitted; they're goin' through the system even now."

I considered the offer; on the surface, Aliza had told me quite clearly she wasn't willing to give me up under any circumstance; my duty was to her. Under the surface, however, the pardons would give the two of them a chance to start fresh with whatever they wanted to do. Turning to look at them, I felt my expression harden. Aliza was still wavering about the continued existence of the PoD, while Nicone was about as unsure of everything as anybody could be.

Turning back to the group, I looked at Shelby. "What if I gave up my existence as Sea Devil and became mortal? Would that be acceptable?"

None of them seemed to have considered that; pausing for a moment, Shelby looked up at her fellow Titans and they communicated mentally for a moment, my eyes reading the mental signals running between them like an open book. When they turned back to face me and Shelby spoke, I already knew their decision.

"That works."

I nodded. "In exchange for a clean slate from the government for us all and our freedom to sail the seas, I'll give up my Sea Devil powers. That sound fair?"

Spandam cackled while Admiral Aokiji nodded and tapped the dragon on the head. "I will head back to Headquarters right now and ensure that the pardons are given. I leave the rest of this business to you all."

With that, he turned away and they flew off. Keeping my focus on them for a moment just out of curiosity about Aokiji's purposes, I fell into a lucky break.

Spandam's lips contorted in a sneer as he glanced back at us and he mouthed, "Well, Admiral, it's too bad they're all about to die, isn't it?"

The admiral nodded. "I don't know why they want to kill the entire crew; the two girls at least should fall under our jurisdiction. But Mistress Titan was most decisive; her compatriots want revenge on the man for not obeying them for so long."

I felt my eyes narrow, then I looked up at the descending group, casually pulling my arms into my coat with me. "One question before I give up my powers. What are your intentions once you have them?"

Poseidon seemed to hesitate, then Devastator spat to the side, lightning flaring as he did so. "It is none of thy concern."

Obliterator cackled maniacally at that. "Matter of personal opinion, no?"

Shelby looked down at me quizzically, then she must have caught something and smirked before turning away from the group. "See ya boys later! I gotta go make sure those guys get those slates cleaned pretty!" With that, she shot off, a red star in the night as she faded into the distance.

Poseidon came to rest in the ocean next to me and extended one hand palm-up. "Your Totem of Power; once I have struck it with my trident, your powers shall be taken and given to the next Sea Devil in line."

Smiling, I looked him in the eye, my arms folded under my coat. "No."

The group gaped at me, then I looked up and stared Devastator right in the eye, my lips curling back in a sneer. "You're planning to kill us all."


	18. Gods and Demons

Fight scenes, yadda yadda yadda. Nothin' special; just the normal Argy-kicks-butt stuff. Not that that's bad, though.

Next chapter, though... We shall see.

-Der'gal shi'e moir-

Obliterator laughed wildly before sneering at me as I stood in the air in front of him. "That's right, lowlife! You're gonna die, along with the mortals! It's the price ya pay for being arrogant and not doing your duty!"

"Even if I didn't know about the duty until now?" Shrugging, I inserted my arms through the sleeves of my coat, reaching back to grasp Yamakaze's shaft as I settled into a fighting stance, my blindfold already down around my neck. "I cannot accept that."

"Thou canst and shalt, mortal!" Devastator's voice boomed through the night, whipping up a gale as he descended to the ocean's surface, setting his feet firmly down. "Thy mortal associates shalt feel the wrath first, then we shalt rip thy powers from thee before destroying you as well!"

He raised a hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning from his fingertips, the massive blade of energy lancing toward the girls, who screamed in fear as Aliza raised a shield of sugar. The lightning bolt exploded, then I spoke from behind the wall of solidified air I had created in front of the lightning to Aliza.

"Captain, what are your orders? Fight or retreat?"

Aliza stood up and clenched her hands into fists. "Can ya take 'em, Argy?"

I stared the entire group down, calculating and recalculating before turning one eye toward her. "Possibly."

"Then KICK THEIR BUTTS!" She whooped as she pumped a fist in the air, then I turned as Devastator began laughing, a deep, throaty sound that sent shockwaves through the turbulent air and cracked against the shield of air I formed around the girls like live lightning.

"Thou believest thy mere Sea Devil powers, not yet fully formed, canst defeat us? Thy pride is arrogance, mortal." Flicking one hand, he waved the other two Sea Devils forward. "Destroy him, servants."

"Understood." Mantis snapped her book closed and straightened up, her eyes beginning to glow with an infernal red light; beside her, Scorpion brought his tail around and smirked at me, licking it casually.

"I'm gonna bag me a Gorgon head, I'm gonna bag me a Gorgon head," he sang wickedly, then the pair began moving forward.

Lowering my head, my hand still gripping Yamakaze, I stared at them from under my hat brim.

"Amateurs."

They paused briefly to frown at me, then I disappeared from view, materializing behind them as, in one smooth motion, I drew Yamakaze and cut them both in half, looking down my nose at them as they stared in shock at me during their last moment of life.

"You never concentrate in one place; you never give your opponent your measure before the fight begins; you never hesitate once the battle begins; you only go for the killing blow. These are the rules of Sea Devil warfare, kids."

A gale erupted to life as a mountain leaped up, peak opening up like massive jaws and swallowing their tumbling bodies before snapping shut and returning beneath the waves, the gale howling around me and forming a tornado as I turned to the remaining figures and rested my ax on my shoulder. My eyes half-shut, I gazed at Devastator amusedly.

"I guess you now need three more Sea Devils, Titan of Storms."

He snarled, then Obliterator cackled and raised a finger. "My turn, loser! Sea Gods, forward and destroy him with everything ya got!"

The three looked uneasily at each other, then they started forward, their bodyguards moving ahead of them as they slowly advanced on me. Looking at them from under my hat brim, I couldn't help but begin chuckling; Poseidon looked at me from beneath stormy eyebrows.

"What is so amusing, Gargoyle?"

"I guess you didn't hear your master." As they frowned uneasily at me, I brought Yamakaze down and held it out at arm's length, the shaft running from my left shoulder out along my right arm. Bringing my eyes up from beneath my hat, I smiled at them. "Much as I would love to avoid this fight, those two idiots will kill my captain, her navigator and myself just out of spite. That means that I am giving this fight my all, which, in turn, means you had better do so as well or fall to my weaponry."

Surf rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "But, dude, I don' wanna fight ya."

"Doesn't matter." Bringing Yamakaze out in front of me, holding it horizontally across my body at arm's length, I stared at them over the shaft and beneath my hat brim. "Either fight a Sea Devil or defy a Sea Titan; your choice."

They looked between each other, then Obliterator snapped, "Stop yappin' and start slaughtering!"

"Shut up, moron."

He spluttered at me, then Luna shook her head violently at me. "Don't provoke him! You know the status quo!"

I knew it all too well; both the old one and the new one. My expression bland, I locked eyes with her.

"Sea Devils, Sea Gods, World Government. Each is controlled by a Titan, the greatest and most powerful beings in existence; they are this way to ensure balance is maintained between the sea, the land and the storm. They are powerful enough to quell any rebellious activity without qualm or thought. That is your status quo, Luna of the Tide."

Turning to look Devastator in the eye, I smiled amusedly even as I felt a trickle of sweat roll down the back of my neck; his expression was terrifying in how furious it was. "But the true status quo is more like Sea Devils, Sea Gods and Sea Titans; each governing different aspects of the oceans, each keeping a balance between themselves to ensure no one group becomes too powerful."

Smiling, Obliterator snapped his fingers, creating a ball of fire that began orbiting his body. "Yeah, you got the old-fashioned one, kid. Too bad we scrapped that plan ages ago!"

"Too bad it means you can be defeated."

His eyes widened as my afterimage faded and he turned to find me behind both him and Devastator, Yamakaze held across my chest with the head behind me, ready to slash. Snarling, he turned to glare at the Sea Gods.

"Old quo or no quo, you're still my servants; GET HIM!"

As they reluctantly moved to attack me, I hit upon a wild, idiotic scheme that might pay off if I survived. If, that is, I survived; mighty big if.

Cutting loose with my eyes, I began churning the energy running wild around us, creating a wind current that fed into the gale that was already blowing in response to Yamakaze's movement; water droplets began rising into the air as the ocean's physical connections began slowly destabilizing, allowing to begin literally tearing apart the ocean. Focusing as the entire group watched in surprise the massive show I was putting on, I began threading the energy together, then I raised my hand and pumped it into my palm. A glowing sphere appeared, then I looked straight at Poseidon.

"Choose which of your servants shall die."

The man straightened up, his trident coming to his side as he glared at me. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"This fight is serious for me, Sea God. Either begin treating it the same or you're all going to die without putting up a struggle." Lowering my head to shield them from direct contact with my eyes, I smiled toothily. "Now, I _could_ slaughter you all while you're still trying to decide what to do, but you're honorable hesitation has earned you more than that." Raising my head again, I smirked at him. "So either attack without hesitation or I'll begin slaughtering your servants."

Lef'tune snarled and raised his own trident, lightning beginning to crackle around it. "You think you can defeat me that easily, demon?! You're just Gargoyle, Medusa's former underling that betrayed her and usurped her position! You aren't-"

"Shaddap, you!"

As every head turned to look at Surf, he patted Tina and Arlene's hands before waving them back.

"Girls, I want you to run as far and as fast from here as you possibly can." His expression losing every trace of amusement as he turned to face me and raised his hands, he continued speaking to Lef'tune. "As for you, ya idiot, he didn't just kill off Meds; he's also th' one that killed Leviathan and the Siren."

Several heads turned back to eye me in shock, while I closed my fist and caused the ball of energy to dissipate before waving my hand and clearing the air of my energy storm, lowering Yamakaze as I smiled toothily at him.

"For your intelligence, Surf, you get the platinum treatment."

Bringing Yamakaze up to my shoulder, I brought my other hand up and wrapped it around the shaft. "My full-on attack."

He snarled and snapped his hands back, creating a wave that sent Tina and Arlene flying away before he formed a fist and slammed it into the ocean, sending a tidal wave's worth of water surging toward me. Leaping into the air, I spun around and dug my heels into the air before I noticed that the surge of water was following me into the air, condensing tighter and tighter until several thousand gallons were focused into a missile eight feet long and one wide.

Flashing away, I was immediately forced to spin to avoid a pair of icy darts thrown by Tina and Arlene, who had returned to their master's side. Grimacing in revulsion over what I had to do, I dug my heels in and began flashing around, each flash barely preventing me from getting slammed by one of Surf's missiles.

Then lightning flashed and I smirked; Lef'tune was already charging, followed by his fellow Trident Watch and a focused scythe of wind from Poseidon's trident. They were finally taking me seriously; even as I thought that, the seven Wind Blades flashed into existence around me, with Luna in front of me, her sword leveled at me.

"As you wish for our full strength, you shall get it."

Grinning devilishly, I tightened my grip on Yamakaze. "And the same from me."

With that, Luna drew her sword back before slashing it forward, sending a scythe of wind at me. "One Blade Dance!"

As I dodged the strike, two more strikes lanced out at me. "Two Blade Dance!" Spinning to avoid them, I began flashing faster and faster as the attacks began coming faster and faster themselves. "Three Blade Dance! Four Blade Dance! Five Blade Dance! Six Blade Dance! Seven Blade Dance! Final Blade Dance!"

As she uttered the final dance, the air filled with razor-sharp wind blades and I grinned before grinding to a halt and bringing Yamakaze up.

"Sundering Tornado!"

Grasping Yamakaze with both hands at the bottom of the hilt, I began spinning on one foot, instantly creating a tornado focused into the diameter of my spin, the turbulence causing the wind blades to dissipate before I stopped spinning and leaped higher into the air, my expression forming into a smirk as the eight Luna Dancers followed. Bringing my hand down to point palm-first at them, I grinned toothily.

"Three Days of Dirges."

Luna's eyes went wide, then she skidded to a halt and screamed for her servants to do likewise; then I spoke from behind them.

"First Dirge; Flail of Hades."

Slashing Yamakaze at them, I unleashed thousands of wind blades at them, the blades forming chains that connected to Yamakaze's head and lashed out at the women. They screamed as the blades bit into their skin, then turned to glare furiously at me. Smirking, I began spinning Yamakaze; Luna's eyes went wide again.

"Second Dirge; Bark of Cerberus."

Yamakaze began howling from the speed which I was spinning it, then I flung the spinning weapon at them; Luna flashed in front of her fighters just in time to catch the brunt of the attack on her sword, slowly being driven back as I brought my hands back to my chest and held them, right over left and palm facing palm, approximately six inches from me. Energy began coalescing into a sphere between my hands, churning and spinning as I added turbulence of my own to it; behind me, I saw Surf, Tina and Arlene charging me, while Poseidon and the Trident Watch shot toward me from beneath the waves.

Smirking, I looked back at the Luna Dancers and flashed forward, driving my ball of energy into Luna's stomach with one hand as the other caught Yamakaze.

"Third Dirge; Wrath of Hell."

As she flew back, blood flying from her mouth, her seven Wind Blades shot forward, screaming in rage as their wings beat furiously, driving them toward me swords-first. Grimacing, I shot forward, slashing straight through them; on the other side of their line, in front of Luna's falling body, I materialized, Yamakaze on the other side of my body from where I had begun my slash. As I flipped Yamakaze around and leaped above Luna, the Wind Blades erupted in blood and died as a mountain snapped up and devoured them.

"I am sorry, Goddess of the Tide."

She stared at me bitterly, then my ax clove her head from her body.

As her body slowly fell toward the waiting jaws of the mountain below, I turned to regard the utterly shocked expressions of Tina and Arlene and the dour one of Surf.

"This is war; you and the masters you serve have declared that I am to die this night. Unless you take me seriously, you will die as they did."

Surf nodded sadly and brought his hands up, grinding his teeth as he clenched his fists. "So be it." Crouching down, he was joined by Tina and Arlene as incredible amounts of power began surging through the air around them. I felt my eyes widen to reflect the surprise I felt, then they snapped their hands forward in the ultimate, one-shot technique that was theirs and theirs alone.

"DAVY JONES' JUDGEMENT!"

The ocean leaped up, forming a huge head that easily swallowed my mountain's jaws; icicle teeth formed inside, creating huge rows of massive teeth that crackled with energy; I knew from previously witnessing it that it could easily pierce my skin no matter how much of my Gorgon Stare was focused on it.

Sighing, I brought my hat down over my eyes as the jaws began slamming shut.

"Guess I gotta change already."

As the jaws snapped shut, I could barely even hear myself shout, "Sea Devil Transformation; Battle Form!"

Then the jaws of water and ice slammed shut, creating a shockwave that sent huge waves rippling out in every direction, including toward the two girls. Aliza and Nicone stared in shock as the wave reached for them, then I burst from the jaws and jumped in front of the pair, taking the wave on my broad stone wings as I smirked at them, my blocky face leering from behind the four huge tusks emerging from my jaws.

"Clouse oune!"

Nicone shrieked and backed away, while Aliza set herself for battle. Chuckling, I pointed up at the hat on my head.

"Settle douwn, gurls. It's juwst me."

Aliza blinked at me, her fists lowering. "Uhh, Argy? Your face is... Uh... Weird."

Smirking as I ponderously straightened up to my full thirty-seven-foot height, I turned to smirk at the stony-faced Titans and the gaping Sea Gods. "Thus us mu bahttle fourm! Froum thus fourm I gout mu nahme, Gahrgoule!"

Obliterator laughed. "It fits, freak!"

Bringing Yamakaze around in front of me and holding it in my seven-fingered right hand, I smirked as I brought my three-fingered left hand up and scratched my forehead beneath the crown of stone horns ringing them. "Dunno ef you should be caullun anuoune freak, freak."

His eyes snapped wide open in rage, then he snarled and made a fist with one hand.

"Titan's Technique; Puppeteer's Rage!"

The eyes of the Sea Gods and their underlings began glowing, then they charged me with renewed vigor and deadly intent. Smirking, I brought the stone-encased Yamakaze up in front of me with one hand and grunted as I the ocean around me began turning to stone.

"MOUNTAIN CHOP!"

I slammed the ax down, obliterating Surf and his two comrades in an instant; Poseidon and the Trident Watch sent a surge of energy at me from their combined attacks which cut right through me. Aliza screamed and Nicone shouted, then Obliterator laughed as my top half began sliding off the bottom half.

"And so dies the upstart Sea Devil! Not so tough now, are you!"

I grunted and brought my left hand down, grabbing my lower half and dragging my upper half back onto it. "Aunnouyun' sauck o' traush, I oughtau smauck yu a goud 'un."

As my body began reforming, I raised Yamakaze back up and looked down at the last remaining Sea God, letting a little of the regret I felt seep into my voice.

"Sourry, bud; gouttau dou thus 'er mu caup'n dun' gou nouwhars."

Slamming Yamakaze back down, I finished off the wrathful-eyed Sea God with another Mountain Chop. Bringing the ax back up, I turned to regard the Sea Titans, who were the only ones left, and returned to my original form, feeling my bone structure cracking with a wince as I adjusted from having wings and horns to a normal human.

Devastator was the first to speak. "Thou art more powerful than expected, mortal."

I nodded in agreement, Yamakaze, now back to original form as well, resting on my shoulder. "I didn't think it would be that easy. Makes it more interesting now that I'm fighting you, huh?"

The Titans snorted and Obliterator stepped forward, one fist clenched in front of him. "Don't get cocky, punk! You still ain't nowhere near our power level, no matter what you think! You've gotta lotta nerve, talkin' like ya gotta chance against us!"

"But he does, fish-face!"

As Obliterator's face turned purple at the title, Aliza continued, "He jus' turned into a freakin' GIANT, for cryin' out loud! I think he's gotta better chance o' finishin' ya off than you do of him!"

The two of them began laughing, then Devastator brought his hammer out in front of him; above, storm clouds began circling while Obliterator cackled insanely and drew his fists back behind him at shoulder-level, whirlpools beginning to form around us. Lightning began dropping from the sky, while geysers erupted everywhere; a full-scale, hurricane-force wind burst to life as I hurriedly strengthened the air shield around the girls, then I had to strengthen it even further as massive waves began pounding the earthen pillar they were perched on.

"The difference in power, mortal child, is the same as between thine and a roach's."

Obliterator brought his fists down and clamped his arms to the side, enormous amounts of energy blazing to life around him as he smirked at us. "If ya've ever seen a school o' sharks when they've smelled blood, kid, ya'll find some similarities between that an' what's about ta happen here."


	19. Clash of Titans

SHIAAAA! HAH!

Yes, BlueRyuu, fighting! However... This... Is... The... Last... Sea... Devil... BATTLE!

HORRORS!

However... Dark Raven style of martial arts? All this is coming in the next episode!

-Second Wind and End Game-

We stood there for a moment, the two Titans facing the lone Sea Devil and the ocean, her limits of physical endurance almost exhausted, shuddering beneath and around us. Then, as one, my opponents and I struck, their arms snapping up and a bolt of lightning followed by a wall of water shot toward my spinning ax before a whirling blade of air snapped out from me and struck them, causing a massive explosion before the water surged through the explosion and I was forced to stop the spinning and stare down the water. As the ocean was blown away, Obliterator slammed through the explosion's settling smoke and charged me with jaws wide, intent on devouring me. Flashing away, I reappeared in the air above Devastator and smirked.

"You guys are slow."

The instant the words were out of my mouth, the Titan beneath me shimmered, then disappeared; I felt my eyes widen, then his voice came from behind me.

"Perhaps, mortal, but thou art not as quick as us."

Turning, I watched in horror as his hammer's head struck me, sending me flying into the ocean with an explosion of lightning and thunder.

I heard Aliza and Nicone scream as I hit the water, the sound of their voices the only thing keeping me from slipping into unconsciousness as I remembered the dire consequences of failure; snarling at the ocean around me, I felt a tinge of satisfaction as it fled from the dark fury I felt come out of nowhere.

As Devastator settled to the ocean and Obliterator began stalking toward me, a smirk on his face, I brought Yamakaze up and held it horizontally in front of me, my vision analyzing my numerous injuries before repairing them. As the wounds healed at an accelerated rate, steam began rising from my body and Obliterator's smirk slipped slightly.

"Well. Guess I am guilty of what I accused the others of; not taking this fight seriously." Raising my head, my hat no longer there from the sheer ferocity of the blow and the dragonskin coat still trying to repair itself in spite of the small fires lit by the Titan's blow, I stared directly at them. "Battle Form."

I felt my bones begin readjusting, then I witnessed a change in perception as my height doubled, tripled, quadrupled until I returned to my thirty-seven-foot form, unleashing a roar that caused the already-unstable ocean to begin trembling. Water began rising and falling at random intervals; a wall of sea would form seven stories high, then it would melt away, followed by rings of pillars and strange shapes that had no name. As the Titans shimmered, then disappeared, I bellowed again.

"MOUNTAIN CORE!"

My skin crackled as the two reappeared, their attacks already closing in on me; I snapped Yamakaze's massive form forward at Obliterator as he smashed an icy punch into me and an explosion ripped to life around us as Devastator dropped the heavy end of the hammer on my head. Smirking as I felt nothing more than slight tickles through the impervious armor of my battle form, I watched through the explosion as Yamakaze drew a line of blood across Obliterator's abdomen, causing the Titan's expression to go slack in shock before he rippled away.

As the pair returned to their positions in front of me, I smirked and readied my ax as they stared at Obliterator's wound. "Houw'dja lukeh daut strukeh? Goud 'nough fehr yuh?"

Obliterator and Devastator turned to glare at me, then they began laughing. Confused, I cocked my head at them. "Whut's suh funneh?"

"Har-har-har!" Obliterator held his hands over his injury as he cackled, then he smirked at me. "Think that's 'nough ta stop me? I'm a Titan, devil-boy; this here's nothin'."

Devastator held his war hammer up and pointed it at me. "Thy arrogance is truly astounding if thou believest this is other than a minor injury to his pride, mortal."

My eyes widened in shock as Obliterator straightened up, the wound already gone from his hide. "You're not th' only one who can fix himself, kid." His mouth turned downward in a frown. "Though I'm not happy that ya could even catch me, slow as ya are."

Brandishing the massive Yamakaze, I eyed them suspiciously. "Thus us th' bahttle fourm. Spehd us sahcrufuced four suhze und invulnurubulutuy."

They exchanged glances, then began laughing wildy and I glare at them. "Whut's suh funneh?"

"Ya talk funny, kid!" Obliterator's laughter cut through the wild atmosphere generated by the turbulent ocean like knives cut through butter. "It's like ya ain't got no more brains!"

Devastator seemed about to speak, then I smiled thinly as I brought Yamakaze back.

"Oh, thut's aull."

Yamakaze sliced toward them; they stood there for a moment, waiting for it, then shimmered away. Their voices came from behind me and I smirked.

"THUNDER HAMMER!"

"BLACK SEA DEMOLISHER!"

Two explosions rippled off my wings, then I turned and smirked at the pair. "Ut's useluss; wuth th' Mountain Core aurmour, nuthun' c'n get through muh skun."

Smiling thinly, they both drew back and brought their left hands around to point at each other, palm facing palm. Energy began surging from everywhere and I felt a twinge of fear as the energy coalesced into a sphere that was rotating between their hands; even in my immune form, I wasn't indestructible if enough power to level a planet was used.

Rotating as if flinging something, the pair roared, "RAGNAROK!"

The sphere shot forward and struck me in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of my stone lungs and flinging me back, slamming me into the ocean and skidding so far away that I could no longer see them with line-of-sight vision. As I felt my armor melting away, one single thought ran through my mind before the light overtook me.

_I'm sorry, Captain._

-Thurd e sonl-

Aliza sank to her knees as Devastator and Obliterator smirked, their lungs heaving and reminding them of something they had long since forgotten; there could be opponents worthy of their best yet. Still, not even the upstart Sea Devil, child of Medusa the Gorgon Queen, had been enough to best them; their goals and intentions remained unstopped.

Turning to regard the shell-shocked girls, Obliterator smiled thinly and raised a hand above them.

"Welp, one more job ta do."

As the air shield around them began dissipating, Nicone looked up at the pair, tears streaming down her face. "WHY?!"

He paused and looked down at her, a glimmer of humanity showing for the first time that night as he shook his head. "Ya fell inta th' wrong crowd, kid. Sorry 'bout that."

Aliza looked up at him viciously. "I DID NOT FALL INTO TH' WRONG CROWD! HE'S MY FIRST MATE AND I'M PROUD OF IT!"

Shrugging, Obliterator drew his hand back farther. "So be it."

Before he could drop his hand, however, something in the air above Aliza shimmered, then pulsed. Grunting in surprise, the titan narrowed his eyes before slamming his fist down. There was a crackle, then he howled in pain and backpedaled, holding the arm where his hand used to be. Above the girls shimmered a strange light, a greenish fire burning in the air as the last of Obliterator's hand disappeared.

"What in Hell is that?!"

Devastator narrowed his eyes, then snapped his gaze to where the massive form of Gargoyle had been sent flying. "Hell and damnation!"

At his oath, all three pairs of eyes turned to follow his gaze to find the distant horizon lit by a green glare, as if a massive fire was burning on the ocean. As they focused, however, something else came into view; a tall, burly figure with the wings of a bat, a long, pointed tail and a huge ax over his shoulder. Obliterator's eyes narrowed.

"There's no way..."

Aliza screamed in delight as Nicone collapsed in relief. "ARGY!!"

The distant figure raised his ax, then disappeared. Before anyone present could quite figure out what had happened to him, fire sprang to life around them, the green flames lashing out at anything that moved, be it ocean, human or titan; the girls shrieked and backed away as a tongue of flame the size of a house licked out toward them before the shield around them snarled and knocked it back, sending it howling back. A deep, thundering voice echoed through the flames as the figure, roughly the same height as the two titans, strode out of the flames.

"It all comesss down to round three."

-Sha'man o'deth-

I smiled through my tusks at the shocked-looking group, Yamakaze howling as the stony head lit with a demonic fire hovered over a shaft of solid air. "The firsst two roundsss I concccede to you, but now the final round isss here and I cannot lossse."

Obliterator licked at his hand where my demon fire had devoured it. "What th' hell are ya?!"

I smiled toothily as my tail lashed the air behind me, my seven-fingered, scaled and clawed right hand wrapped around Yamakaze while my three-fingered, stone left hand formed a fist before a single finger pointed at them. "I am a Sea Devil, nothing less, nothing more; you, on the other hand, are about to die."

The two titans snarled, then Obliterator shimmered away and snapped around behind me. His other hand slammed into my back, the weight of the ocean behind it, then he screamed as I turned up the heat of my furred, scaled skin and melted his limb off. Screaming, he staggered back as I turned to him and smiled wickedly before inhaling deeply.

"BANE OF LIFE!"

The green fire that poured out of my mouth wrapped around him and clung to him, no matter how much he flailed and how much water he doused himself in. The ending was inevitable; his titanic form slammed into the ocean as he attempted a last-ditch dousing, then his struggles slowly ceased until he went still, the fire continuing to devour him until there was nothing left. As the hungry flames began looking for something else to devour, I turned to look at Devastator, who was eying me uncomfortably.

"How ist it that thou can do these things?"

I smiled thinly. "I defeated the Sssiren with ssspeed; I dessstroyed Leviathan with power; I crushed the Gorgon with trickery and deccceit. I turned their own ssstrengthsss into weaknesssesss againssst my own power; thisss isss the true nature of the Sssea Devilsss, the nature you never sssaw when you enssslaved them by murder and usssurpation. Thisss isss how they ssstayed ssseparate from your rule for ssso long." Lowering my head, I let my voice turn dark. "Thisss isss how you will die."

He snorted and spun his war hammer around before drawing it back. "Enough talk."

Nodding, I shot forward at the same time as he did; our weapons collided and a shock wave brutal enough to envelope entire islands surged out, creating a massive wave that traveled only a short distance before the unstable ocean simply dissipated it. Snarling, we drew our weapons apart before slamming them back again, our power generating a tornado that blew away as quickly as it blew together. Repeated blows generated the same results; growling, we leaped back, our feet digging into the ocean as if it was earth before we stood up. Devastator brought his hammer over his head and began spinning it, lightning crackling from the weapon as it charged an enormous amount of power; bringing Yamakaze behind me, I gripped it with both hands and began focusing energy into it. We both finished simultaneously and swung our weapons, unleashing the attacks at the exact same moment.

"THOR'S WRATH!"

"DEVIL'SSS ADVOCATE!"

A lightning bolt large enough to swallow an island whole crashed toward the massive scythe of energy I created with a swing of Yamakaze; the two attacks collided and exploded violently, creating a ball of flame that I dissipated with a wave of my hand before flashing forward, digging Yamakaze's head into Devastator's chest as his hammer struck my side, driving in deep and breaking numerous ribs. We both staggered away, a shocked look on his face and a grim one on mine, then we both raised our weapons and roared before charging again, our weapons colliding before shattering from the incredible force with which we struck.

Without pause, we began pummeling each other, our massive fists slamming into each other at either chest or head level and either absorbed on the arms or hand or smashing the targeted area with incredible force. This went on for a moment, then Devastator slammed me in the head with one fist while the other crackled with lightning before driving into my stomach and sending me skidding back. As I gripped the ocean with my clawed feet, he drove toward me with his fist cocked back; grimacing, I formed a blade-edge with my hand and slashed it into his fist. There was a crack, then he screamed and staggered back as his hand went limp from the force that had hit it; sensing my opportunity, I brought one fist back while my stone hand reached out and gripped his skull, applying enough pressure to attract his attention to taking it off for a moment.

As he finally wrenched the hand off and flung it away from him, he was just in time to stare as my other fist, completely charged with energy, drove into his chest.

"GORGON FISSST!"

He screamed as energy poured through his body and lit him up from the inside, then died as his body disintegrated beneath the onslaught of pure power that had erupted from my fist.

As his remains floated to the ocean, I staggered from exhaustion before reverting to human form with much pain, my injuries no longer allowing themselves to be ignored or pushed away. Staggering in a circle, I spotted the terrified faces of the girls and weakly smiled as I gave them a thumbs-up.

"'M gooood..."

As I fell forward, the waves not dissipating away from me as they usually did, I hit the water just as another voice wafted through my senses.

"Guess he won, huh?"

_Shelby?_


	20. Silence of the Damned

Apologies for the slooooow update, became addicted to World of Warcraft. XD

Last chaptah, holy cowz. I've lost the inspiration for One Piece stories, so it might be a while before the sequel comes out. Seeing as I'm deploying overseas pretty soon, could be quite a while. But meh. There IS a sequel, believe it or not, but, as stated above, could be a while.

Thanks ta BlueRyuu for being so loyal in reviewing, luff yaz 4ever. Sorry I haven't responded, but when I get addicted to a game, I get ADDICTED.

Anywayz...

-Dawn of the End-

The first thing I saw when I woke up was white. White ceiling, white walls, a white curtain fluttering in the breeze.

Rolling my eyes to the right, I gazed out the window and found myself amused that there was a Navy flag flying over the glistening white tower with the blue trim; a Navy base. I, Argyle Finch the Gargoyle, member of the Pirates of Doom, known by far too many as a dangerous man and by a very few as the most powerful in the world, was recuperating from the history-defining battle I had just fought in defiance of the world order in a Navy hospital. I couldn't help but start chuckling to myself; it was just too funny.

"Well, I see your sense o' humor ain't gone."

Turning, I found Shelby regarding me with a bemused smirk on her face, her legs folded in front of her as she leaned back in the overly large chair placed next to my bed. Smiling, I nodded out the window.

"I hope that flag out there doesn't mean that my captain's currently incarcerated in one o' those cells under that flag; otherwise I may have to flatten this place ta break her out."

The girl giggled and shook her head. "No, no, nothing of the sort. If you must know," she winked conspiratorially, "she's actually discussing your futures with th' Admiral."

Raising one eyebrow at her, I slowly sat up, feeling the aches of days spent in bed combine with the strain of freshly-healed injuries and sore muscles to create a decidedly unpleasant sensation. "I hope you didn't do anything to try and _persuade_ her, Titan, or something very painful is gonna hit you pretty soon."

She smiled at me as I flexed my arms to try and work out some of the kinks in them. "Actually, I was just planning on fixing you up and dropping you all off at a nearby safe house I've set up ta wait fer ya ta finish healing." Shrugging, she looked off into the distance, a slightly discomfited expression crossing her face before she looked back at me. "But she insisted on comin' here an' talkin' with Ao."

My eyebrows went even higher. "The Admiral? What did she want with him?"

She shrugged again. "I didn't pry into her head and she didn't tell me. From what she an' Nicky were talkin' 'bout as they went in, though, I gathered that yer cap'n wants somethin' from th' Admiral that he promised."

My eyebrows couldn't go any higher, so I just let them relax as I swung my legs over the side, smirking at my white frock.

"Well, whatever she decides will be fine with me. Before _I _do anything, though," I gave her an impish look, "I need some pants."

She giggled and eyed me mischievously. "Aww, but I like you better with no pants! More... _Fun_ to look at, if ya catch my drift."

We grinned at each other, then I spotted my battered clothing lying in a pile by the door and moved over to it, reaching down to pick it up. As my hands wrapped around the brim of my hat, though, power flowed into me; wincing slightly, I felt all the pain suddenly vanish and the injuries instantly finish healing. Sighing, I dropped the hat and turned to a slightly-curious-looking Shelby.

"By the way, I need some new clothes."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why's that?"

I nodded at the innocuous-looking pile of belongings that was all I had in the world. "Because that's my personal set of Trinkets, Titan of Land. The Sea Devil Gargoyle's supposed to die, remember? So my captain can go free?"

Shelby smiled slightly, then pointed back at the bed. "You might as well wait a bit; wait 'til yer captain comes back."

Something about her tone sort of set off warning bells in my head; looking her over, I felt my expression darken as I spotted something in her face that displeased me. "What did you do?"

She smiled coyly at me. "You _might _wanna sit down for this one."

Returning to the bed, I sat down cross-legged and folded my arms, staring expectantly at her. She cleared her throat, then sighed and shook her head before smiling at me.

"Your captain will be along in a few moments to explain the course that you all will be taking."

I narrowed my eyes at her and was tempted to return to my sea-demon power just long enough to find out what I wanted to know from her, then the door opened and I turned to see my captain in a Marine uniform, her eyes shadowed beneath her hair. Behind her, Nicone, her eyes also shadowed, stood beside a Marine guard; once the man saw that all was well within, he turned and left, letting the door close behind him as I stared almost open-mouthed at the pair. It was a few seconds before I could find my voice, then I spoke.

"Why, Captain?"

My captain bowed her head, revealing her hair done up in a tight ponytail, and answered quietly, "I told you; the Pirates of Doom are dead."

"But why join the Marines?" I scratched my head in puzzlement. "It makes no sense at all."

Nicone answered this time. "Because they told us what you are, what you did." They both looked up at me and I felt the blood leave my face at the misery in their faces. "They told us about your home, your life, how you've killed everyone around you and left the survivors to die in the ocean. How your heart is as cold as ice and that you deserve to die for a single minute's worth of what you've done for your whole life."

Aliza broke in. "And they told us that you're a normal pirate, that trying to be honorable pirates, trying to live by rules, is stupid. They told us we can never be true pirates if we do that; that we can only do that as Marines."

"Enough."

Cutting them off with an upraised hand, I looked in Aliza's eyes and narrowed my gaze. "Let me ask you this again; why join the Marines?"

She stared at me for a moment, then Shelby broke in. "Because the World Government found out about her family situation."

Her grandparents? Were they attempting to use them as hostages? Raising myself up, I pinned Shelby in place with a glare honed by years of wrathful fighting. "I swear on the graves of my people that, if you touch them, I-"

She brushed me off. "Oh, can it, doofus. Thing is, Aliza didn't tell you the truth about her grandparents."

Looking at my captain, I narrowed my eyes as she avoided my gaze. "Captain?"

Taking a deep breath, she looked in my eyes, her own full of tears. "Gramma an' Grampa are dyin', Argy. They've been really sick for a long time, so I wan'ed ta get them money ta get an operation ta fix them." Looking back down at the floor, she continued as a pair of tears dropped from her face. "But the Navy says that the operation can only be performed by a Marine surgeon an' that only Marines can get a contract for it."

Leaning back, I folded my hands behind my head and smiled at her, relief flooding me. "Oh, okay."

All three heads turned to look at me in confusion. "Whaddaya mean, okay?" Shelby sounded as puzzled as I've ever heard her. "Y'mean you... Actually, what the _heck _do ya mean?"

Smiling at her, I looked up at the ceiling. "It's quite simple and I've been telling everyone this since I met her; Aliza is my captain. I dun care what you say or think about it, I don' care what she does or where she goes. I've decided ta tie my fate ta hers an' that's all there is to it. If she wants ta go Marine, it's no skin off my teeth. If she wants ta go pirate, that's cool, too. Only thing I'm worried about is that she chooses it herself and it ain't chosen for her."

My smile widened. "And since I'm no longer a Sea Devil, I get ta come along and actually have some fun!"

Shelby shook her head at me in amusement. "And how can you help since yer no longer a Sea Devil?"

I shot out of bed, the edge of my foot flashing up next to her throat in the blink of an eye as I smirked at her. "You forget; before I gained my powers, I was a skilled fighter in my own right. With my powers gone, I've simply reverted back to my pre-devil skills."

Aliza hit me then, jumping up on me and wrapping her arms around my neck as she began crying into my shoulder. Nicone and I exchanged looks, then I sat down on the bed and wrapped my own arms around my captain; behind us, Shelby grabbed my clothing and weaponry and held them up for me to see. Nodding to her, I watched as she disappeared with them, for destruction of the articles which had contained my power.

-The Eleventh Hour Beckons-

I stare down at the village beneath us, the bluffs that line the island effectively shielding the collection of houses and ships almost completely from all but the closes inspection. Beside me, Nicone lowers her binoculars and pulls up a portable den-den mushi, speaking into it quietly.

"This is Punisher Team, ready ta move on your mark, Cap'n."

Aliza's voice is quiet as she responds over her own communicator. "Understood, Punisher Team. Vindicator Team, how're things 'n your end?"

The voice of Cairo, the assassin of our Navy Death Squad, comes on. "Me 'n C'ssandra're ready ta go."

"Understood. I shall hold myself and Lieutenant Darik back in reserve; you are a go in two minutes."

Smiling as Nicone hangs up, I gently test the surface of the rock face we're clinging to. "So, Nicky, think yer up fer our first mission as th' Navy's personal death commando?"

She grins at me. "Th' question is, are _you_?"

Shrugging, I look down at the village. "Let's get this over with; Smilin' Dan an' Ma're liable ta kill us if we're late for supper again."

Grinning as a flare explodes to life from above us, she kicks off against the wall and I follow suit, looking up and catching a brief glimpse of my morose captain standing outlined by the light on top of the bluff, her form shrouded in a cloak but her body language miserable. I'm getting worried about her, but that can be taken care of later; for now, it's the mission first.

Spinning around, I smile toothily and bring my right arm in front of me as I fall, a dark substance flowing out of the tattoos of my dead buddy from a year before right before I hit the center of the pirate village that we've been sent to annihilate.

Bringing my own den-den mushi up, I speak the confirmation phrase of Punisher Team's touchdown.

"The dogs are loosed."

THE END


	21. Epilogue Or Prologue?

Foreshadows...?

And BlueRyuu, WoW is only boring if you HAVE NO IMAGINATION!

I garner the highest levels of amusement by running around and wiping out groups of indigenous species, clefthoof, murlocs, gnolls and trolls being my all-time favorites and Frenzyheart wolvar a close second. It's just so much fun to plow through and then look back at the trail of bodies. Makes me wanna... Dance! And then there's the sheer world itself... Woof. Better put this up before I drop everything and fade away into WoWness.

-0-

A gathering of the highest import.

That was what word on the street called the gathering of the top brass of the World Government; this one was said to be extra-special, involving the fates of both an up-and-coming new pirate group and a sinister new force of 'dark justice' within the more shadowy ranks of the Navy.

To the men gathered around the large, circular table within the deepest recesses of their most secure building, however, it was a tad more important than that; it was the assignment of a group to ensure the eradication of the Straw Hat Pirates before the latter could gain too much momentum to be stopped.

The captain at the head of the room waited until all the admirals and governors had seated themselves, then he cleared his throat to get all attention on him before turning to a massive easel behind him; gesturing with a pointer, he signaled the men standing atop it to turn the first page, revealing a pair of symbols: the four circles of the World Government to the left, a skull-and-crossbones with a straw hat atop it on the right.

"Gentlemen and ladies, you all know why we are gathered here today. The Straw Hat Pirates have, in the course of a very short period of time, gone from a bunch of nobodies to one of the most powerful pirate crews in existence, possibly in history." The page turned to reveal a series of pictures showing the group, all eight of them, in various poses; it seemed they didn't mind being photographed in the slightest. "These are the faces featured on their wanted posters."

He nodded as a hand went up. "Yes?"

"I notice one of them is hand-drawn and another is a raccoon-man with a funny hat. Are you sure this information is accurate in relation to their appearances."

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a picture of Sanji, the ship's cook, as he is less of a showman than most of the others; the raccoon-man, as you called him, is actually a reindeer who ate the Human-Human fruit and gained the ability to think and speak as a human." Gesturing again, he waited until the next page had turned to reveal a broadly-grinning boy with black hair and a straw hat before speaking again. "This is their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, age seventeen. He has eaten the Gum-Gum fruit, making him a rubber man, and he is something of a genius in the realm of tactics and short-term fighting techniques. Combining his ability to stretch and his intuition for battle, he has managed to overcome every opponent he has faced within one, maximum two battles, often fighting while injuries from the previous face-off are still present. What makes him most remarkable is that he has proven himself, time and again, able to push beyond even his considerable limits in defense of his crew; he is not to be underestimated in any way, although the same can be said of his entire crew, especially this next man."

The page turned again to reveal an intimidating man with a green bandanna over his head that threw his eyes into shadow, letting only a demonic glint show from beneath them; in his mouth was clenched a sword, while two more were held in his hands.

"Roronoa Zoro, the ship's swordfighter, was once a freelance pirate hunter that we ourselves employed several times to our great satisfaction; a master of _santoryu_, three-sword style, fighting, he has been steadily gaining in strength and skill, even beyond his captain. In fact, if he had some sort of Devil Fruit power to counteract Straw Hat Luffy's, he would undoubtedly be the stronger of the two; as it is, he is still a match for anyone who has met him. In every battle that the Straw Hats have engaged in, he has always sought out the swordfighter, seeking always to prove himself better than any other swordsman; according to intelligence we've received, in fact, it's said that he's even fought Hawkeye Mihawk and lived, although mostly due to Mihawk's taking an interest in him. As with his captain, his drive has pushed him far beyond what most people would consider their limits; it is known of at least two cases in which he actually _entered_ battle with nearly life-threatening injuries and still came out the victor; his record of wins-to-losses is actually better than his captain's, who will lose a battle and then come back to beat his opponent later. Zoro just _does not lose_. He is also known to drink excessively and to always back his captain up in whatever decision he may make; he, along with Sanji, are considered the most dangerous fighters in the crew due to their combination of power and smarts and second only to their captain in terms of physical power."

The page turned again to reveal a red-haired beauty with her tongue stuck out teasingly at whoever had taken the picture. "This is Nami, the ship's navigator and second-in-command most of the time, making most of the decisions as to where to go next and many of the day-to-day command decisions. She is not much when it comes to sheer power, but her mind is as sharp as a razor and the weapon she bears, crafted by their maniac inventor Usopp, has the ability to change the weather and call down lightning strikes at her command. This has made her a force to be reckoned with, although not nearly as dangerous as Zoro or Sanji and not nearly as powerful as Straw Hat; in fact, she and Usopp are the weakest of the crew in terms of sheer strength, although they more than make up for it in mental ability. She is said to be able to navigate by her nose and is more than capable of dealing with any normal soldier."

"Then there's Usopp, the ship's marksman and inventor. He is an all-out coward, liar, egotist and weakling, but he has shown himself to be sneaky, underhanded, accurate at over a mile and a brilliant inventor, given what he has to work with most of the time. In the most recent case, that of Straw Hats versus CP9, he was able to pick off single soldiers at a range of almost a mile without even drawing an extra breath; the safest way to deal with him is to intimidate him into running."

"Sanji is the ship's cook and an expert fighter with his feet and, it's rumored, with knives. As you can see from the picture here, we haven't been able to get a decent picture of him; that is mostly due to the fact that he is smart, streetwise, powerful and fast. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he falls for any girl prettier than my mother, he could be considered the most dangerous man on the ship; as it is, however, he refuses to fight women and has a hard time fighting with them around without getting distracted. He is also a world-class cook; if we ever manage to capture him, I plan on transferring him to my personal staff immediately."

A chuckle went around the room, then the page turned to reveal the 'raccoon man'. "Tony-Tony Chopper, the ship's doctor. He is a deer-man, a deer that's eaten the Human-Human fruit, with numerous forms that he controls via a medical product of his own development called the 'rumble ball' that allows him to enhance certain parts of his system, turning him invulnerable or swift or strong. In the most recent incident, it's rumored that he also has a monster form, which causes him to become completely invulnerable and insanely strong as well as fast, although it is said that the form seems to injure him in some way. Details are sketchy, but it's best not to take him lightly. He's also got a brain in his head and, in many ways, is similar to Usopp in personality and temperament."

"This is Nico Robin. I haven't said much about her up until this point, but that's because she's in a class of her own, almost apart from the Straw Hats themselves. You all know the details about her from the numerous meetings we've conducted on her, but suffice to say right now we don't know why she's traveling with the Straw Hats, although Admiral Aokiji believes it is because she feels at home with them."

Every eye in the room turned to the man in question, who woke up briefly and looked boredly at the picture. "Yes, she's found herself a place. She is quite happy with them." With that, his eyes closed again.

The captain shrugged and flipped the page again to reveal a blue-haired weirdo in a speedo posing atop an iron beam. "And this is Franky, AKA Cutty Flam, the crew's shipwright and student of the great ship designer Tom, of Tom's Workers. He is a cyborg and a blowhard; there isn't much else to say about him. Various parts of his body are weaponized, including but not limited to an air cannon, chain-linked fist, cannon arm, rifle fingers and fire-breathing capabilities. It is said that he's powered by cola, but this is still under review. He is also the one who designed and built the crew's current ship, the Thousand Sunny. He is powerful and smart, but has personality quirks like the rest of the crew that prevent him from being invulnerable completely."

A picture of a ship with a lion's head at the fore came into view. "The Thousand Sunny's exact specifications are under review, but since it was designed by Cutty Flam, we can assume it's heavily armed and armored." Looking up as the insignia of the World Government was brought into view, the captain eyed every man in the room. "In conclusion, it can be assumed that, given a mere year or two, this crew could quite possibly be an even match for any of our Seven Warlords or the Four Emperors. It is recommended by the Navy Intelligence branch and by Operations that we eradicate them as quickly as possible."

A huge man at the far end of the table leaned forward, a dark glint in his eyes. "And Ah assume y'all have a plan alreadeh en mahnd fer that contengenceh, Captain?"

The captain nodded once as the page was turned to reveal another picture; a skull-and-crossbones, but with the crossbones replaced by the insignia of the World Government turned sideways. "We do, in fact; Deadbone."

Almost every eyebrow in the room went up as an amused chuckle went around the room. One voice came from the side, "And what the heck is Deadbone?"

The page turned to reveal another set of pictures; most of these, however, were decidedly less friendly to look at. "Deadbone is the code name for a group of pirates that we turned to our side; based around the original three Pirates of Doom from the incident of the same name a few months ago, we've developed a group of killers almost equal to the now-deactivated CP9. In fact, it was suggested among some circles to replace the dead members of that organization with Deadbone, but it was rejected on the basis that they have not been fully battle-tested."

"And you suggest we send this group of turncoat pirates against a crew that wiped out CP9 wholesale?" A captain near the door snorted. "What kinda talk is that?"

The captain smiled gently. "I'm about to explain my reasoning."

The page turned to reveal a girl of about twelve or thirteen staring out from the paper; the dead quality of her gaze caused a few to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Red-and-white streaks through her hair, done up in a severe ponytail, gave the impression of a candy cane, an incongruous note against the black cloak and clothing beneath she was wearing. "This is the captain, Aliza Alicia Alamonium. Since coming over to our side, she has proven herself a genius in utilizing her Devil Fruit powers; incidentally, that power is the ability to create and mold sugar into any sort of object she wishes. We would class it as Logia-type except that she has yet to reveal the ability to turn _herself_ into sugar, although it is speculated this may be simply because she has yet to have a need to. Admittedly, this is not enough to put her in charge of any group by itself; however, due to the blind loyalty of her two subordinate Pirates of Doom and their enforcement of her directives on the rest, as well as their own differing loyalties to her, she has never relinquished command, in spite of our placing an officer of the Marines among them in an attempt to at least retain a mote of control over their day-to-day operations."

The page turned again to show what was clearly a woman of incredible body wrapped in dark cloth that clung to her curves like skin; her face was concealed almost completely save for the eyes, which had an Oriental slant to them and shone brightly from beneath her black hair, which was done up in a ponytail far looser than Alamonium's. A pair of sais were in her hands, while a long sword in its sheath was strapped to her back. "This is Cairo, a ninja from one of our Black Ops: South branches. She is an expert in killing quietly and moving without detection in any environment; despite that, however, she is a hyperactive, temperamental pain in the butt when not on a mission, meaning she has destroyed a few Navy bases in arguments with other Navy officials over trivial matters. In fact, the only reason she hasn't been liquidated yet is because of Alamonium's interference and the discipline Raven and Nicone have often beaten into her. In spite of the beatings, however, she is fiercely loyal to the crew, often taking punishment rather than let them protect her at cost to themselves."

The next face was of a white-haired beauty dressed in browns and greens; her tanned skin reflected her beauty, as did the clothing she wore, which, while not as skin-tight as Cairo's, was definitely not hiding much. She was staring reflectively at her hand, which was half-human, half-bird; feathers were strewn across her skin, while glints of brown feather could be glimpsed in her hair if one squinted. "This is Cassandra L'falc, a woman with the power of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Sparrow-Style. She may not look it, but she is not only a skilled doctor, she also has four knives hidden on her person that she has been known to use in taking out a Sea King, two mermen in a brawl over possession of her and even a small town of pirates. She is one of the less loyal of the crew to Alamonium, but she still refuses to work directly for us or take command of the crew. Our estimation is that this is due to a reclusive independence she developed from childhood, when her mother and father were killed by a Marine barrage."

Another picture; this time of an old, decrepit-looking man staring down the sight of a rifle. "This is Daniel Williams, also known as Smilin' Dan for the way he squints when performing a difficult shot. He is an expert sniper and a master of gauging all factors involved with shooting. He's been known to hit a mouse that had been nibbling at his tobacco from two miles away through a sandstorm; incidentally, he is also the grandfather of Alamonium. He hates the World Government for what he views as our blackmail of his granddaughter into joining us; we used his and his wife's diseases to our advantage in our recruitment of Alamonium, which we later healed completely. In spite of that, however, he has never forgiven the World Government. Fortunately, due to his loyalty to his granddaughter, he has not taken a single action against us outside of verbally abusing anyone we send down there. For some reason, he no longer insults our man inside, which we believe may be a sign of his acceptance in the crew."

The page turned again, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man with chiseled features, muscular body, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes saluting in front of a World Government flag. He was dressed sharply in a Marine Lieutenant's uniform, a sword at his waist and a rifle on his back. "This is Lieutenant Chisholm Darik, our liaison with Deadbone. An expert fighter with both sword and rifle, he is most decidedly disloyal to Alamonium, although his attempts to gain control of the crew were met each time with passive resistance on the part of the others. He has been ordered to stand down as of four weeks ago, when we received a message through him from Raven informing us that he would not appreciate any further intrusion into his captain's authority."

"What, and you're just gonna take that? We're the World Government, for crying out loud!"

The captain looked across the table at the governor that had spoken, his expression blank. "You'll understand a little more once I profile him."

The page turned, revealing a massive woman of about seventy glaring from over a griddle of waffles, a rolling pin in her hand as she rears back to smack whoever was taking the picture. "This is Larissa Williams, wife of Smilin' Dan and the ship's cook. In spite of her expression in this picture, she is a generally friendly woman, highly hospitable to anyone who comes to her kitchen and willing to give anyone a hot meal and some baked goods of one form or another. She seems to be the emotional central pillar of the crew, often hearing out their inner problems while feeding them cookies; because of this, not even Lieutenant Darik will do anything that might endanger her. Unlike her husband, she harbors no hatred of us because of what we may or may not have done; she simply cooks and listens. On the two occasions that we actually heard of her losing her temper, however, she is known to have sunk a ship and wiped out a Marine base using a skillet and ladle. She has incredible power in her limbs, while all that fat is actually muscle fully capable of absorbing and insane amount of blows."

The captain smiled darkly as the page turned. "And now we come to the two most dangerous members of the crew; 'Bladeheel' Nicone and Raven. They are considered to be threats due to a combination of intelligence, power and disloyalty to the World Government as well as a fierce loyalty to Alamonium."

The first picture was of a girl staring murderously out from the paper, the sheer intent to kill as well as the cunning to find a way to do it causing most of the room to unconsciously lean away from her. "This is Nicone, nicknamed 'Bladeheel' after she used her feet to cut an iron pillar in half in a fight against three pirate crews. She has the power of the Stomp-Stomp fruit, which turns everything below her knees into weapons impervious to pain and other weapons and enhances the power of the musculature there to beyond-imaginable possibilities. Along with Raven and Alamonium, she was one of the original Pirates of Doom and is Deadbone's navigator, giving her intelligence to back up her power. She is fiercely loyal to Alamonium, but doesn't have the sheer brainpower to quite know what to do with it. Not like the final member."

As the page began turning, the captain looked up at the group. "All that you have heard is to be considered for your consideration only. What I am _about_ to say is to be considered Top-Secret and treason against the World Government if it is leaked."

As the picture came into view, the room seemed to inhale collectively; staring out from beneath an oddly-pointed helmet was a pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to reach for their very souls even through paper. That was all that could be seen of the man labeled on the picture as Raven.

"This is the man once known as Argyle Finch and Gargoyle; he has since abandoned those names save for use within his crew and simply goes by the title Raven. He was once a Sea Devil of incalculable power and the man who defeated both of the Sea Titans and their underlings, the Sea Gods, and killed vast numbers of Sea Devils and semidevils out in the Sea Devil Battlefields, but abandoned his powers for reasons unknown, although we believe his loyalty to Alamonium may have had something to do with it. Despite his loss of power, however, he is still a force to be reckoned with. With his deific powers gone, he has reverted to his original fighting skills and powers that he had before he turned into a Sea Devil and has honed them to such a length that he can easily be considered the match of almost any member of the Navy, up to and including the Vice-Admirals. His techniques have not been seen by any of our spies, as he moves too fast for them to follow, but Lieutenant Darik reports that his speed is part of the technique, called Death Raven, and that it employs every muscle in his body. The helmet you see on his head is part of a larger set of armor that he found somewhere yet to be determined; the entire thing is constructed of Sea Stone, which is used to weaken Devil Fruit users in confinement, and weighs roughly five hundred pounds."

"That's impossible."

"Impossible or not, the facts remain that he is extraordinarily dangerous physically. As to his mind, he has the experiences of centuries of combat as a Sea Devil in the Gorgon Armies; this has honed his strategic and tactical prowess to incredible heights. He is the one who plans out the missions most of the time, along with Nicone, and he has been known to even pull missions that call for a full fleet of ships on his own when he believed his team needs a rest. All ingoing and outgoing communications for Deadbone go through him, allowing him to decide what the team can or cannot do; beyond that, he has essentially taken the task of safeguarding the crew while they're resting on himself, meaning all of the spies we've sent and all the assassins other groups have sent have been returned in pieces and with warning notes attached to them."

"He was known to lose his temper as a Sea Devil, but that has since been declared a by-product of his powers; since losing them, he has shown incredible discipline in this regard, never letting his emotions get in the way of his rational mind. Every decision he makes, however, has two basis which everything else is worked from: the effect on his group and the effect on his captain. Everything else is subsidiary, even the effect the decision might make on his own body. His loyalty to Alamonium is still under review, as there is nothing in their history together that suggests why he would remain under her in spite of his clear superiority to her in almost every regard, but it is not to be questioned; he has mercilessly killed everyone we've sent to try and lure him away from her."

"The final point that should be noted is that he also has some sort of power involving shadows. We have yet to confirm it, but that red glow you see in his eyes is a sign of that power being used, according to our sources. It has been said that he simply _erased_ a Marine fleet that accidentally started shooting at him using that power, while every other incident has revealed nothing further save that prolonged usage seems to slow down his speed by a minute fraction."

As he looked up, Aokiji opened his eyes. "And you plan on sending these against the Straw Hats?"

"Yes. We believe that they stand the best chance of dealing with the pirates. Granted, they aren't anywhere near as effective a team as the Straw Hats, but they are individually equal to or superior to their counterparts on the Thousand Sunny." The page turned to show a matchup of the two crews. "Alamonium, while not as experienced as Luffy, is perfectly capable of holding her own against him. Nicone should be able to defeat Sanji quickly, while Raven will be the perfect match against Zoro. Smilin' Dan will be able to shoot further than Usopp, giving him the advantage, while Lieutenant Darik will be able to deal with Chopper and Larissa Williams is more than a match for Nami. The closest fight will be between Cairo and Nico Robin; whether the ninja can hit the woman before the other does her in or if she fails will determine the course of battle, as Nico Robin would be able to turn any one of the previously-mentioned fights. In essence, the entire battle could be decided by a single fight."

"Not really."

The room turned to the aide that had been standing behind Aokiji quietly up to that point; smiling, the man took off his hat and brushed it off as he spoke.

"You're all too old-fashioned; all we hafta do is have Smilin' Dan shoot as many as he can before they strike back, then we separate them and hit them with everything we got. If it comes down to a one-on-one fight, well..." He put his hat back on. "Heck, I think even the good Lieutenant will find them an easy challenge. They're just a buncha kids, after all."

The captain was sweating as spoke, causing several people to raise their eyebrows at his reaction. "Don't underestimate them; every one that's done that has died."

"You misunderstand." The man raised his head enough for his eyes to stare down the captain's. "I didn't say they'd be weak; it's just that we're so much stronger."

Turning, he walked slowly around the table, every man he passed feeling a chill crawl down his spine for no particular reason. As he reached the door, the two captains standing there barred his way and one reached to push him away. "Hey, you, you've disrespected the-"

Before he could finish, he found himself staring in shock at the hand plunged through his chest and out the other side, his heart held in its grip. As the man retracted his hand, holding the heart in his grip as he regarded it thoughtfully, the captain sank to the floor and died. The other one attempted to step back, then the man's other hand was through his chest.

Turning as the captain sank to join his comrade in death, the man smiled as he fingered the hearts in his hands. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I could kill the entire crew in their sleep before they even knew what hit them?"

"Raven! Stand down!"

The entire room jerked as the captain who had been briefing them slammed his hands down on the table in front of him, his expression panicked. "Return to your quarters and await your next orders!"

"You mean assignment." The man's eyes were cold as he reached down and placed the hearts on the table and then straightened back up. "I take no orders from anyone but my captain."

The entire room held its breath as he calmly stepped over the bodies and out the door, where the guards there challenged him and his blood-stained arms. They all winced as two more bodies hit the ground, then exhaled slowly as the outer door was opened and the slow footsteps meandered away. Turning to Aokiji, the captain stared at him. "Sir, what possessed you to bring him to this meeting?! Are you insane?!"

Aokiji picked his nose. "He promised he wouldn't do anything unless challenged. As you can see, he was true to his word. He simply wanted to see who he should begin training the crew for next, something, as you well know, he's done since the beginning." His dark eyes came up with a glint of anger. "And now, _captain_, you may conclude this briefing. Preferably now, because I'm bored."

The captain swallowed at the inherent threat behind the words and nodded. "Unless anyone has any objections, I will assign Deadbone to the Straw Hat issue and we will adjourn for the day."

There were no objections. As he ordered two of his subalterns to come down from the easel's top and clean up the mess as the room cleared out, he mopped at his forehead.

Another day, another life-threatening moment in the life of the Black Ops Division.


End file.
